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Before the French Revolution (end 18th century), the patronage of the church of Semmerzake (now part of the Town of Gavere, Belgium) belonged to the Abbey of Ename (now part of the City of Oudenaarde, Belgium). Originally, Semmerzake Church was a Romanesque building constructed with stones from the City of Tournai (Belgium). From this original construction, only the substructure of the crossing tower remains. In the 13th and 14th century, an expansion in Scheldt Gothic was realized.
Due to the crumbling state of the church building, architect August van Assche (1826-1907) from the City of Gent, Belgium, reconstructed Semmerzake Church nearly completely in 1885 in neo-Gothic style. Van Assche used the original material, Tournai limestone.
The church tower shows battlemented contours at its four sides, with traces of bricked up small round arch windows in the hollow parts. Half up the battlements, another type of stone was used. It nourished the idea that once a fortified tower was standing at this place. In accordance with the Romanesque tradition, half pyramids facilitate the transition from the square tower to the octagonal bell tower with Gothic pointed arch windows.
The church was classified as an important monument by the Government of Belgium on July 13, 1945.
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Source: Koenraad DE WOLF,
1.
Architectuurgids
Zuid-Oost-Vlaanderen. Romaanse bouwkunst (1000-1225), 1996, pp. 41-42.
(English translation: Architectural
Guide of South-East-Flanders. Romanesque Architecture (1000-1225).)
2.
Architectuurgids
Zuid-Oost-Vlaanderen. Gotische bouwkunst (1225-1625), 1997, pp. 41-42.
(English translation: Architectural
Guide of South-East-Flanders. Gotic Architecture (1225-1625).)
3.
Architectuurgids
Zuid-Oost-Vlaanderen. Van Empire tot Art Noveau. De 19de-eeuwse Neostijlen (1800-1918), 1999, p. 81, p. 84 and p. 87.
(English translation: Architectural
Guide of South-East-Flanders. From Empire to Art Nouveau, the 19th Century Neo-Styles (1800 - 1918).)
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