Begijnhofkerk Sint-Catharina

Begijnhofkerk Sint-Catharina is the beguinage church standing at the heart of the beguinage in Herentals, a small town in the province of Antwerp, in the Flemish region of Kempen. Dedicated to Saint Catherine, the church has served for centuries as the spiritual center of the community of beguines who lived in the surrounding houses.

When was the church built?

Construction of the current church began in 1599 and was completed in 1614. It replaced an earlier beguinage that had been demolished by Dutch forces during the armed conflicts of the late 16th century. Interestingly, materials recovered from the demolished earlier buildings were reused in constructing the new church — a common practice at the time, when postwar rebuilding required careful, economical use of available resources.

How has the building changed over the centuries?

The church was expanded and modified several times. A west portal was added in 1655, and it remains one of the distinctive features of the facade today. Another significant change came between 1780 and 1787, when a large sacristy was built on the site previously occupied by a school choir — a detail linked to the educational role the beguinage played for the girls and women living within the community.

The most substantial intervention in the interior took place in 1874, when the church underwent a renovation in neo-Gothic style. Some of the windows were also redone in this style at that time, giving the interior a more unified, 19th-century character typical of many Belgian churches that were renovated according to the neo-Gothic fashion of the era.

What architectural style does the church represent?

Begijnhofkerk Sint-Catharina is an example of a late Gothic pseudo-basilica with a short transept, covered by a broken gable roof. This layout — with a nave taller than the side aisles but without the full clerestory lighting of a true basilica — was a common solution in the religious architecture of the Southern Netherlands at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. The church is surrounded by a former cemetery, which further underscores its historical, contemplative character and fits the atmosphere of the entire beguinage, an enclave of quiet within the urban fabric of Herentals.

What is the beguinage where the church stands?

The beguinage in Herentals belongs to the group of Flemish beguinages — residential complexes once inhabited by beguines, lay women who led a religious life without taking permanent monastic vows. The Sint-Catharina church served as the natural center of such a community, hosting daily services and the most important religious celebrations for the women who lived in the beguinage.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the church located? Begijnhofkerk Sint-Catharina stands within the beguinage grounds in Herentals, in the Belgian province of Antwerp.

How old is the building? Construction was completed in 1614, meaning the church is over four hundred years old.

Has the interior kept its original 17th-century appearance? Not entirely — in 1874 the interior underwent a neo-Gothic renovation that altered part of the original decor, including some of the windows.

What surrounds the church? The church is surrounded by a former cemetery, an integral part of the historic beguinage complex.