Look for a tall, pale-yellow brick façade with grey stone detailing, a grand arched window above a large dark wooden door, and a statue in a small niche just above the entrance.
Standing here, take in the Jesuit Church, the last one of its kind ever built in Belgium-straight from the 18th century! Built swiftly from 1749 to 1752 by the talented Jesuit brother Albert del Plancken of Ename, this church wears its late Baroque style like a fancy hat, showing off brick and natural stone with a dramatic flair. Picture this spot buzzing with faithful Jesuits, fancy choir music, and maybe a few stern but friendly monks keeping order. But here’s the twist-imagine 1914, when a World War I shell crashed into the nearby garden, shattering every window in the building and setting the grand white marble altar ablaze! The church had a rough patch, even turning into a storage space at one point-talk about a career change. But don’t let that fool you; by 2008, after decades of standing empty, dedicated locals rallied together, restoring the grand windows, the façade, and the roof. Today, music and laughter sometimes echo through its halls again, with concerts and lively events bringing this one-of-a-kind church back to life-proof that some buildings really do deserve a second act!
