Merksem, Saint Bartholomew’s Church

Oriented cruciform church with built-in west tower north of the choirIn a church with a cruciform floor plan, the part of the church that lies on the side of the nave opposite to the transept. The main altar is in the choir.. The building history dates back to the 15^th century. The church expands dramatically in the 18^th, 19^th and 20^th centuries. After the almost total destruction in the 2nd World War the church was rebuilt between 1947 and 1950 to the pre-war plan by architect H. Huygh. The church has a wealth of Baroque furniture: the St. Bartholomew portico altarThe altar is the central piece of furniture used in the Eucharist. Originally, an altar used to be a sacrificial table. This fits in with the theological view that Jesus sacrificed himself, through his death on the cross, to redeem mankind, as symbolically depicted in the painting “The Adoration of the Lamb” by the Van Eyck brothers. In modern times the altar is often described as “the table of the Lord”. Here the altar refers to the table at which Jesus and his disciples were seated at the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. Just as Jesus and his disciples did then, the priest and the faithful gather around this table with bread and wine. of Paschier (1645), the side altars by W. Kerrickx and W. Pompe (early 18^th century), the 17^th century panelling, the confessionals and communionThe consumption of consecrated bread and wine. Usually this is limited to eating the consecrated host. rails by Cornelis Struyf (1734). From the pulpit by Jan Pieter Van Baurscheit (1725) only the medallions are preserved. In the 20^th century the church is enriched with stained glass windows of, among others, A. Stalin (1914) and J. Huet (1939).