27.

Altar of Our Lady
At the beginning of the 17th century, the church encouraged the veneration of Our Lady. This was also the case in Puurs. A chapel of Our Lady was erected, separate from the church in Puurs. The chapel was served by its own chaplain.
The chapel soon attracted a large crowd, necessitating its enlargement in 1640.
Afterward, the altar was replaced by the current altar. It is a wooden altar marbled using painting techniques, giving it the appearance of marble.
The statue of Our Lady depicts Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows: recognizable by the swords piercing her. The statue could be removed from its niche and carried in procession.
The fact that the chapel was originally separate from the church is confirmed by the fact that the entrance door to the chapel was discovered and reopened during restoration work in the 1980s. The door was later resealed. However, it remains visible to the right of this altar: the current tabernacle was placed inside it. The doorway appears rather low. On the one hand, people were much smaller in those days than they are today. Furthermore, it is also reasonable to assume that the floor level, when this door was in use, was considerably lower than it is today.

28.

The communion rail of the Altar of Our Lady dates from 1756. It dates from a few years after the church was enlarged. It grew from a church with one nave and two transepts to a church with three full naves: one main nave and two side aisles.
It was probably also then that the Chapel of Our Lady became part of the church.
The communion rail is in the Rococo style. This style is characterized by the use of shell and floral motifs. Rocaille means shell.
The artist is unknown.
It is assumed that the lost communion rail of the Holy Cross Altar was a "sister" of the one that still exists today.

29.

Next to the altar of Our Lady stands the large stained-glass window of the Rosary. It was designed and installed by Samuel Coucke, a stained-glass artist in Bruges.

The artist incorporated his name, along with the date, into the window.

The central panels of Saint Dominic were funded by the then chairman and secretary of the church council.
Parishioners could sponsor 100 francs for the depictions of the mysteries.

The stained-glass window depicts the 15 mysteries of the Rosary.

At the center is the image of Saint Dominic receiving a rosary from Our Lady.

The 15 mysteries of the Rosary consist of: 5 joyful; 5 sorrowful; and 5 glorious mysteries.
They depict important events from Jesus' adult, public life.

Can you recognize them?

The 5 joyful

- The angel Gabriel brings the good news to Mary.
- Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth.
- Jesus was born in a stable in Bethlehem.
- Jesus is presented to God in the temple.
- Jesus is found again in the temple.

The 5 sorrowful
- Jesus's agony.
- Jesus is scourged.
- Jesus is crowned with thorns.
- Jesus carries his cross to Golgotha.
- Jesus dies on the cross.

The 5 glorious

- The resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
- The Ascension of Jesus.
- The Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles.
- Mary is assumed into heaven.
- Mary is crowned in heaven.

In 2002, Pope John Paul II added 5 mysteries of light to these 15 mysteries.

These are, of course, not depicted in this old stained-glass window.
It is about:

- The Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan.
- The Revelation of Jesus at the wedding at Cana.
- Jesus' announcement of the Kingdom of God.
- The Transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor.
- Jesus institutes the Eucharist during the Last Supper.

30.

Confessional from the period 1770-1774.
Although a scoop motif and a palm tree were carved into the confessional, we can see that this is several years after the heyday of the Rococo style.
This confessional reveals the transition to the Classical style.
In the center, we recognize the Divine Eye. The eye that knows and sees all.
Four saints are depicted on the confessional.
From left to right: Agnes, Joseph, Donatus, and Catherine.
You'll immediately notice a difference in the way these figures are executed compared to Kerrickx's sculptures.
This confessional does not bear a chronogram.

31.

The Statue of Saint Anne.
Saint Anne and Saint Joachim were the parents of Mary, Our Lady.
Here, Saint Anne is depicted with her daughter. She is holding a book before Mary.
The statue was purchased in 1889 in the Bressers studio.
It was consecrated by Cardinal Goossens.
Also, take a good look at the accompanying neo-Gothic pedestal, on which the statue stands.
At the top are extendable beams, which served to carry the statue in procession.
Saint Anne has traditionally enjoyed great devotion in our church. Until the church was enlarged in the 18th century, an altar was dedicated to her. This altar was already mentioned in the church's first visitation reports.
The deans of that time visited their churches annually. They came on a visitation. These were essentially inspection visits in which they checked whether everything was in order in the church they visited.

32.

This pulpit certainly appeared in the church of Puurs before 1734.
Because of this dating and the elaborate carving, it must be attributed to Kerrickx.
Note the four graceful scrolls with floral motifs.

On the sides of the pulpit's bowl, we can see four reliefs. These are the four evangelists, each depicted with "their" symbol.
- At the front, we recognize John with the eagle. This refers to the sublime thoughts in the prologue of his Gospel.
- On the right, we see Matthew with the angel or the man. His Gospel begins with the Incarnation of Christ.
- On the left, Saint Luke with the ox. His Gospel begins with the sacrifice of Zechariah.
- At the back, on the door, Saint Mark is depicted with a lion. He writes about John the Baptist's preaching in the desert.

Four angels trumpet the praise of God's word. Two of them were stolen from the church in 1971, but fortunately recovered in Tournai.

The Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, is depicted at the bottom of the sounding board.

In the days when Masses and readings of God's Word were not in the vernacular, but in Latin, it was crucial that the sermon, which was delivered in Dutch, be clearly audible to the congregation.
To do this, the priest left the chancel, at the very front of the church choir, and climbed the steps of the pulpit.
The congregation turned their chairs and sat around the pulpit.
The sounding board amplified the preacher's voice, directing it downward so that it could be clearly heard in an era before sound amplification and microphones.

33. 

Confessional from 1723.
It was sculpted by Kerrickx and originally stood beneath the organ in the then single-nave church.
This confessional also consists of two herm statues. These are statues that are part human and part column.
The old woman represents repentance. Kerrickx, incidentally, always uses the image of an old woman to represent "repentance."
The young woman, with the heart, love. To depict love or another virtue, Kerrickx always used a beautiful, young woman.
The old woman's sorrow is further emphasized by the flat plane between the woman's eyeball and eyelid. This creates a shadow effect and makes the eye sockets appear deeper.
In the medallions on the back, we recognize, from left to right:
King David.
The divine, all-seeing eye of the Triune God.
Mary Magdalene.
The text beneath the three medallions each spells out the year 1723. You'll notice that certain letters in the text are capitalized. These capital letters represent Roman numerals. When you add the different values ??of these Roman numerals, they each equal 1723.
Translated, these texts mean:
As an ungrateful king, I have sinned against the Lord.
The eye of the Triune God.
Abundant fruit for those who love.

34.

This Renaissance-style communion rail dates from 1619.
It most likely separated the Chapel of Our Lady from the nave until around the mid-18th century.
The sculpted decoration is very refined. Three Doric columns divide the communion rail into three sections. The footrests beneath the columns bear a small lion's head. Above each capital was a small cherub's head, only one of which has been preserved.

35.

The statue of Mary at the back of our church dates from the second half of the 18th century.
It was once carried in processions.
The statue is a simple composition of a head with two elaborate arms. One hand holds a scepter. The other hand holds the infant Jesus. Beneath the garment is a conical torso. The garment and cloak create a presentable ensemble.
The statue wears a silver pendant around its neck. These pendants were fashionable in the 19th century. They were given to mothers as gifts for some Mother's Day. We can assume that this pendant is a gift. The ring bears two hallmarks: a sword and the letter "Dee."

The throne on which the statue is placed also dates from the 18th century. It was completely restored several years ago.
Four angels used to adorn the four corners of the throne. However, these have disappeared without a trace.

36.

Well, we could tell you much more about the interior of this church.
This digital tour is still in development. A digital guide for the exterior of the church is also being developed.
If you wish, you are cordially invited to stay with Our Lady a little longer. Even if you have nothing to say or anything to ask today. That's what the song tells us.
If you find this tour worthwhile and would like to give the guide a tip, you can put it in the offering box of St. Anthony. It is used for the upkeep of this church.
If you make sure you don't leave any objects behind in the church, you don't need to invoke him.
We hope to see you next time.

Other Media

Het Delahaye-orgel van de Puurse Sint-Pieterskerk

The Carillon

                  Liturgische vieringen in onze kerk