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Lapscheure church
Lapscheure's first church was built in the 13th century. In order to prevent the Spanish troops to conquer the town of Sluis, in 1583, the occupants of Sluis pierced the dikes in Lapscheure. As a consequence the village of Lapscheure inundated. The church was cut off from the village and stood then on a salt-marsh. It was practically impossible for the villager to reach the church. The dean of Aardenburg came here to assess the situation and declared that the church was beyond salvation and could not be rebuilt anymore on the place where she stood. At that moment, the tower and a part of the walls had already collapsed. The foundations have been dug out and can be seen at the end of the Zeedijk; beware of the fact that they lie on private grounds. So: don't enter without the owner's permission. Anyway, the ruins are very good visible from the road. Since their old church could not be saved anymore, the people from Lapscheure, decided to construct a new church on another place. The first wooden church was built in 1640. In 1649, the villagers were granted permission to tear down the remains of their old church and to use the materials for the construction of the present one. She was consecrated in 1652. If you look attentively, you will see that there is something peculiar to this building: the tower stands on the eastern side (the only example in northern West-Flanders). If you have the chance, you should surely go and see the interior.
Where
on the map? |
The
patron saints of this church are the Holy Trinity and Saint Christian. She
has an agitated history, just like the village has. 