Saint Peter's Church () is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church in

Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...

, Belgium, built in the 15th century in the Brabantine Gothic style. The church has a cruciform floor plan and a low bell tower that has never been completed. It is long. It is located on the city's Grote Markt (main square), opposite the Town Hall. In 1999, the belfry and bell tower of the church was inscribed on the

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as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, in recognition of the civil importance and architecture of the belfries in the region.

History

Early history

The first church on the site, made of wood and presumably founded in 986, burned down in 1176.The Great Market Square
Leuven city website (archived 4 December 2008) It was replaced by a Romanesque church, made of stone, featuring a West End flanked by two round towers like at Our Lady's Basilica in

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

. Of the Romanesque building only part of the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

remains, underneath the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

of the actual church. Construction of the present Gothic edifice, significantly larger than its predecessor, was begun approximately in 1425, and was continued for more than half a century in a remarkably uniform style, replacing the older church progressively from east (chancel) to west. Its construction period overlapped with that of the Town Hall across the ''Markt'', and in the earlier decades of construction shared the same succession of architects as its civic neighbor: Sulpitius van Vorst to start with, followed by Jan II Keldermans and later on Matheus de Layens. In 1497 the building was practically complete, although modifications, especially at the West End, continued.

Towers

In 1458, a fire struck the old Romanesque towers that still flanked the West End of the uncompleted building. The first arrangements for a new tower complex followed quickly, but were never realized. Then, in 1505, Joost Matsys (brother of painter Quentin Matsys) forged an ambitious plan to erect three colossal towers of freestone surmounted by openwork spires, which would have had a grand effect, as the central spire would rise up to about 170 m, making it the world's tallest structure at the time. Insufficient ground stability and funds proved this plan impracticable, as the central tower reached less than a third of its intended height before the project was abandoned in 1541. After the height was further reduced by partial collapses from 1570 to 1604, the main tower now rises barely above the church roof; at its sides are mere stubs. The architect had, however, made a maquette of the original design, which is preserved in the southern transept. Despite their incomplete status, the towers are listed in the

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Belfries of Belgium and France.

Wars and aftermath

The church suffered severe damage in both World Wars. In 1914 a fire caused the collapse of the roof and in 1944 a bomb destroyed part of the northern side. The reconstructed roof is surmounted at the crossing by a flèche, which, unlike the 18th-century cupola that preceded it, blends stylistically with the rest of the church. A very late (1998) addition is the '' jacquemart'', or golden automaton, which periodically rings a bell near the clock on the gable of the southern transept, above the main southern entrance door.

Description

Exterior

File:St Peter collegiate church in Leuven (49).jpg, Choir and ridge St-Pieter Leuven zuidkant.jpg, Transept Leuven 42127 Sint-Pieterskerk DSC 3423.JPG, Gothic windows JacquemartCollegialeSaintPierreLouvain.JPG, '' Jacquemart''

Interior

In side chapels are the tombs of Duke Henry I of Brabant (d. 1235), his wife Matilda (d. 1211) and their daughter Marie (d. 1260). Godfrey II of Leuven is also buried in the church. An elaborate stone tabernacle (1450), in the form of a hexagonal tower, soars amidst a bunch of crocketed pinnacles to a height of . A creation of the architect de Layens (1450), it is an example of what is called in Dutch a ''sacramentstoren'', or in German a ''Sakramentshaus'', on which artists lavished more pains than on almost any other artwork. Leuven Sint-Pieterskerk kerkschip 23-11-2013.jpg, Nave Eglise Saint-Pierre de Louvain 3.JPG, Priest choir Leuven 42127 Sint-Pieterskerk Graftombe van Hendrik I van Brabant DSC 3122.JPG, Tomb of Henry I Leuven 42127 Sint-Pieterskerk DSC 3096.JPG, Sacrament Tower Leuven, St. Peterskerk 003.JPG, Rood screen

Furnishings

The large and elaborate oak pulpit was transferred from the abbey church of Ninove as the original pulpit was sold during the French occupation. It is a 17th century work by the Flemish sculptor Jacques Bergé. It is an example of the naturalist pulpits produced in the Southern Netherlands (especially in the Duchy of Brabant and in Mechelen) from the 17th to the 19th century. This Baroque pulpit in oak is a total work of art of which the parts (support, bowl, staircase, soundboard) are forged into one sculptural whole. The support shows a life-size representation of

Norbert of Xanten Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1080 – 6 June 1134), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a German Catholic bishop who was the Archbishopric of Magdeburg, Archbishop of Magdeburg, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is ...

falling from a horse. Leuven 42127 Sint-Pieterskerk preekstoel DSC 3075.JPG, Baroque pulpit Leuven, St. Peterskerk, Pulpit 006.JPG, Pulpit detail Leuven, St. Peterskerk 022.JPG, Choir stalls Leuven, St. Peterskerk 024.JPG, Detail 'misericorde'

Artworks and relics

Despite the devastation during the World Wars, the church remains rich in works of art. The chancel and

ambulatory The ambulatory ( 'walking place') is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th century but by the 13t ...

were turned into a museum in 1998, where visitors can view a collection of sculptures, paintings and metalwork.

Statues

The church holds Nicolaas de Bruyne's 1442 sculpture of the Madonna and Child enthroned on the seat of wisdom (''Sedes Sapientiae''). The theme is still used today as the emblem of

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries. In addition to its main camp ...

. One of the oldest objects in the art collection is a 12th-century wooden head, being the only remainder of a crucifix burnt in World War II. Leuven Sint-Pieterskerk Maria 04.JPG, ''Sedes Sapientiae'' Leuven Sint-Pieterskerk Anna selbdritt 95.JPG, Anna te Drieën Leuven Sint-Pieterskerk Christus 96.JPG, Christ Leuven 42127 Sint-Pieterskerk beeld DSC 3107.JPG, Saint Peter

Paintings

'' Altarpiece of the Holy Sacrament'' or ''Triptych of the Last Supper'' is one of the masterpieces in the church and was painted by Dirk Bouts between 1464 and 1468. Other masterpieces in the church are '' The Martyrdom of Saint Erasmus'' from the same painter and the Edelheere Altarpiece (''Descent from the Cross''), an early copy after a work by

Rogier van der Weyden Rogier van der Weyden (; 1399 or 140018 June 1464), initially known as Roger de le Pasture (), was an Early Netherlandish painting, early Netherlandish painter whose surviving works consist mainly of religious triptychs, altarpieces, and commis ...

.''Edelheere Altarpiece''
at Web Gallery of Art The ''Scenes from the Life and Martyrdom of Saints Catherine and Clement'' were painted by the Leuven painter Jan Rombouts the Elder around 1530.Jan Rombouts, ''The Torture of Saint Catherine of Alexandria ''
in: ''Erfgoedplus'' Dieric Bouts - Altarpiece of the Holy Sacrament - WGA03002.jpg, '' Altarpiece of the Holy Sacrament'' or ''Triptych of the Last Supper'', Dirk Bouts Dieric Bouts - The Last Supper (detail) - WGA03004.jpg, ''The Last Supper'', Dirk Bouts (detail) Jan Rombout (I) and workshop - Episodes from the Life and Martyrdom of St. Catharine (cropped).jpg, ''Scenes from the Life and Martyrdom of Saint Catherine'', Jan Rombouts the Elder Unknown painter - Edelheere Altarpiece - WGA23565.jpg, ''Edelheere Altarpiece'', after Rogier van der Weyden

References

Footnotes

Notes

External links

'The Last Supper' in the Saint Peter's Church

Services
at Kerknet.be (only in Dutch) {{Authority control 986 establishments Burial sites of the House of Reginar Bell towers in Belgium Gothic architecture in Belgium Roman Catholic churches in Belgium Churches in Flemish Brabant Buildings and structures in Leuven Burial sites of the House of Metz