To spot St. Gummarus Church, just look straight ahead at the end of the street-its tall, stone Gothic tower with a unique rounded top stands proudly above the rooftops, making it impossible to miss!
Ah, you’ve made it to the mighty St. Gummarus Church, the pride and pepperpot of Lier! Take a deep breath-let’s set the scene. Imagine it’s the late 1300s. This spot is bustling with townsfolk chattering, the sharp sound of hammers on stone, and a tower slowly rising above all. They called the tower “de peperbus”-the pepper shaker-because, well, it kind of looks like one. The first shimmer of this Brabantine Gothic beauty began in 1378 under the Mechelen architect Hendrik Meys. The locals didn’t have crowdfunding sites back then, so they relied on bishops to offer indulgences-blessings for anyone willing to pitch in for construction! Money trickled in bit by bit, so the building process went in fits and starts.
This church took over 150 years to finish, with each new phase adding layers of style and history. Picture architects from the famous Keldermans and de Waghemakere families passing on their blueprints across generations. Before it stood here, there was a Romanesque church dedicated to John the Baptist-the old bones of Lier. But the soaring columns and pointed arches of this one took inspiration from the mighty St. Rumbold’s Cathedral of Mechelen, so you could say it’s got some architectural royalty in its DNA.
Step inside-figuratively, for now-and you’d find treasures everywhere. The high altar from the 1800s stuns visitors with scenes from the life of St. Gummarus, carved by Jan Anthony. Closer to the heart of the church is an even older Gummarus altar by Johannes van Mildert, dating back to the 1600s. The choir and nave are separated by a glorious 16th-century rood screen, and the pulpit is a masterpiece from the hands of Erasmus Quellinus I and his son Artus, with figures of angels-called caryatids-holding it aloft.
Now, see those windows? This church is a rainbow collector! The glasswork runs the gamut: jewel-toned Gothic windows from the 1400s, royal Renaissance windows by Nicolaas Rombouts from 1519-some of the oldest in the Low Countries-and even modernist panels up to 1968. One shows St. Gummarus as a church builder, landlord, and knight, just in case anyone wondered about his CV. During World War I, shooting shattered some of these precious panes, but patient hands brought them back to life.
And there are paintings, too-a “Martyrdom of St. Sebastian,” a triptych by Adriaen de Bie, and the star of the show: the Colibrant triptych by Goswin van der Weyden, whose grandfather was the legendary Rogier van der Weyden. The center panel shows the wedding of Mary and Joseph-no doves or confetti, but plenty of symbolism peeking through.
High above, the sound of bells has echoed for centuries. In the late 1500s, they already had 12 bells each with its own name and job. After fires and wars knocked them out, the bells came back strong: in 2004, a beautifully restored carillon filled with 52 bells and one whopping eight-ton Gummarus bell was unveiled, making it the heaviest 18th-century carillon in Western Europe. Imagine that deep, rich “bong” rolling out over Lier!
And history? Oh, this place has tales. Here, in 1496, the royal wedding of Philip the Handsome and Joanna of Castile took place. The young Charles V, future emperor, visited too. For those events, a special set of royal stained-glass windows was created-and some can still be seen today. Once a year, sixteen men carry the shrine of St. Gummarus through the streets in a sparkling procession.
And like any old star, St. Gummarus Church gets regular makeovers. Roof repairs in the 1600s, glasswork after World War I, and-as we speak-a grand renovation project carrying into the late 2020s. So when you look up at that “pepperpot” tower, remember: it’s been the beating heart of Lier life for over six hundred years. Not bad for something named after a kitchen utensil, eh?
If you're curious about the church treasures, historical events in the church or the saint gummarus procession, the chat section below is the perfect place to seek clarification.
