Our Lady of Good Hope Church

Our Lady of Good Hope Church (Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Goede Hoopkerk) is the principal church of Vilvoorde, a town in Flemish Brabant just north of Brussels. The site has been in religious use since at least the 10th century, when a Romanesque village church stood here — the building visitors see today, however, is overwhelmingly the product of a Gothic rebuilding campaign that ran from the 14th century through the 16th and 17th centuries.

How old is the church, really?

The construction history spans several centuries and building phases. While the current Gothic structure took shape from the 14th-15th century onward, one part survives from an even earlier stage: the northern sacristy, which dates back to the 13th century and is the oldest identifiable fragment of the building. The choir and transept, which give the church its mature Gothic character, were designed by the architect Adam Gherijs.

Why does the church have only one tower?

The original design called for two towers flanking the facade, but only the northern tower was ever completed. The southern one never materialized as planned, leaving the building with an asymmetrical but distinctive silhouette — a pattern seen in a number of large Gothic churches across the region, where ambitious building programs were often curtailed by cost, time, or shifting priorities of the patrons funding the work.

What architectural style does it represent?

The church is regarded as a fine example of Brabantine Gothic, the regional style that developed across what is now Belgium and the southern Netherlands alongside French Gothic architecture, but with its own distinct features. Inside, this shows up most clearly in the high vaults and the large windows, which flood the interior with natural light — a hallmark of urban Gothic churches, where a bright interior was meant to reinforce the building's sense of monumentality.

What are the highlights inside?

The interior holds furnishings relocated from other religious buildings that no longer serve their original purpose. The richly decorated Baroque choir stalls date from 1663 and originally belonged to the former priory of Groenendaal, a site with its own significant religious history in the region. The naturalistic pulpit, meanwhile, was brought here from the former Sint-Joriskerk in Antwerp. This kind of movement of liturgical furnishings between churches was not unusual in the history of Low Countries religious architecture — it often followed the suppression of religious orders, renovations, or the loss of other buildings, with valuable fittings rescued and installed in churches that remained active.

Who should visit?

Our Lady of Good Hope Church is a must-see for anyone exploring Vilvoorde or interested in the sacred architecture of Brabant. It layers several historical periods on top of one another — from its Romanesque origins, through the Gothic rebuilding, to later Baroque additions to the interior. Architecture enthusiasts will appreciate the contrast between the massive Gothic exterior and the richness of the Baroque furnishings inside. The church sits in the town center, making it easy to combine with a walk through the rest of historic Vilvoorde.

Frequently asked questions

What is the church called in Dutch? Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Goede Hoopkerk, literally "Church of Our Lady of Good Hope."

What is the oldest surviving part of the building? The northern sacristy, dating from the 13th century.

Who designed the choir and transept? The architect Adam Gherijs.

Where do the choir stalls inside the church come from? From the former priory of Groenendaal, where they were made in 1663.