On Wednesday we offer an optional day trip to two remarkable churches in Flanders. In the morning, we will depart from Antwerp Central Station to St. Leonard’s Church in Zoutleeuw. There, Ward Hendrickx, curator of the church, and Ruben Suykerbuyck, curator of Old Masters at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, will give us a guided tour. Ruben Suykerbuyck was awarded his doctorate in 2020 on the strength of his dissertation on the church treasures of Zoutleeuw. These treasures are extensive and largely intact, making it seem as if the iconoclasm never took place here. The church’s most magnificent feature is the 18-meter sacrament tower designed in the sixteenth century by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt. Other unique items include polychrome double-sided Madonna and Child statues (a Marianum) and a fifteenth-century brass Easter candelabra.

After a lunch in the monumental cloth hall of Zoutleeuw, we will travel to Geel where we will visit the Gothic Church of St. Dymphna in Geel. As wel as in Zoutleeuw, the church never fell victim to the Iconoclastic Fury. Consequently, the church still contains some twenty paintings, including works by Godfried Maes and Jan Mostaert. Particularly noteworthy are the alabaster mausoleum of Jan III van Merode and Anna van Gistel, completed in 1554 by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt, and the late fifteenth or early sixteenth-century carved altarpiece of St. Dymphna, to whom the church is dedicated. René T’Sye, who has been a guide in the church for over 20 years, will guide us through this remarkable church and the treasures to be found here.

Program

08:50-09:00	Participants gather in front of Antwerp Central Station
09:00-10:30	Transfer by bus to Zoutleeuw
10:30-11:00	Arrival at Zoutleeuw with coffee and tea at the Lakenhalle and a word of welcome by Ward Hendrickx, curator, St. Leonard’s Church
11:00-12:30	Visit to St. Leonard’s Church, Zoutleeuw with Ruben Suykerbuyck, curator of Old Masters, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam and Ward Hendrickx
12:30-13:45	Lunch at the Lakenhalle in Zoutleeuw
13:45-15:00	Transfer by bus to Geel
15:00-16:15	Visit to St. Dymphna’s Church, Geel with René T’Syen, Head of the Geel Guide Association
16:15-17:30	Transfer back to Antwerp Central Station

A PDF-file of the program can be downloaded by clicking here.

Extra Fee

There is an extra fee for this full-day excursion, which includes entrance to all locations, transport by coach from Antwerp Central station to Zoutleeuw, Geel and back, coffee/tea breaks, and lunch. Members and Associate Members pay 65 euros and Patrons pay 95 euros. There are limited spaces available, so make sure to register early.

Accommodation

If you decide to participate in this excursion, we advise you to book an extra night at the conference hotel of your choice. More information on the hotels and booking process can be found here.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact the CODART office:
Moos Engelbertink, event manager
events@codart.nl