Overview

Saint-Jean-Baptiste church is one of three concrete churches in Brussels. It took just 15 months to complete its construction, which began in 1931 under the direction of architect Joseph Diongre. He respected the traditional Latin cross plan, but chose to place the 56 m high bell-tower on the facade. White Brauvilliers stone was used for the exterior cladding, while different types of Belgian marble abound inside the building. Parabolic arches, inspired by the concrete structures of the Orly hangars designed by architect Eugène Freyssinet, lend lightness and spaciousness to the nave, which is beautifully lit by a unique set of brightly coloured stained glass windows. Designed by Diongre but straight from the Brussels workshop of Fernand Crickx, these non-figurative stained-glass windows set in 604 prefabricated openwork panels underwent meticulous restoration in 2004. On sunny days, they create a magical play of light, blending yellow, orange or red with celestial blue. In the nave, between the two levels of bays, mosaics of the twelve apostles, designed by Pierre de Vaucleroy, have been added. (CL 29/02/1984)

Practical information

Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00 and Sunday from 13:30 to 18:00

parvis Saint-Jean-Baptiste, 1080 Molenbeek-Saint-Jean

Advance booking not required.

Non accessible

Address
parvis Saint-Jean-Baptiste, 1080 Molenbeek-Saint-Jean