St. Leonard's Church, Zoutleeuw

St. Leonard's Church, Zoutleeuw
St. Leonard's Church, Zoutleeuw
Saint Leonard's Church
Location	Zoutleeuw
Country	Belgium
Denomination	Roman Catholic
History
Founded	1125
Architecture
Heritage designation	Monument
Style	Gothic
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Sint-Leonarduskerk
Part of	Belfries of Belgium and France
Criteria	Cultural: (ii), (iv)
Reference	943bis-026
Inscription	1999 (23rd Session)
Extensions	2005
Area	0.2 ha (0.49 acres)
Buffer zone	35.25 ha (87.1 acres)
Website	www.zoutleeuw.be/website/12-www/65-www/122-www.html
Coordinates	50°50′00″N 5°06′11″E / 50.83333°N 5.10306°E / 50.83333; 5.10306
	Location of St. Leonard's Church, Zoutleeuw in Belgium

The Saint Leonard's Church (Dutch: Sint-Leonarduskerk) in Zoutleeuw, Belgium, stands on the former site of a Romanesque chapel erected in 1125 by Benedictines from Vlierbeek Abbey near Leuven. Construction of the present church began around 1231, and additions continued into the 16th century. Rendered mainly in the Gothic style, the building in its oldest parts shows traces of the Romanesque architectural style.

The two heavy square towers flanking the west facade are connected with each other by means of a gallery over the nave. The slender central tower, octagonal in cross-section, contains a carillon with 24 bells. In 1999, UNESCO included the towers and church as part of the World Heritage Site Belfries of Belgium and France.^[1]

Few, if any other medieval churches in Belgium remain in such an excellent state of preservation as St. Leonard's, which stayed clear of the widespread iconoclasm during the Protestant Reformation. It also survived the French Revolution intact, because three canons took an oath of allegiance to the French regime. The interior thus offers an authentic glimpse of how the churches of Brabant were furnished centuries ago.