Sint-Gertrudiskerk (Machelen)

Sint-Gertrudiskerk is the parish church of Machelen, a municipality in Flemish Brabant right on the northern edge of Brussels, close to Zaventem airport. Standing on Kerklaan, its cruciform neo-Gothic silhouette has been the visual anchor of the small town center for well over a century.

How old is this church really?

The story likely starts far earlier than the current building. A manor chapel is thought to have existed here as early as the 9th century, tied to land held by the Abbey of Nivelles. That link is plausible rather than documented, but the first solid record of Machelen as an independent parish dates to 1226 — meaning the site has served as the town's religious center for roughly 800 years, even though the physical church itself has been rebuilt more than once.

Why does the building look the way it does?

Around 1489, the medieval church was destroyed by fire during an act of arson. Reconstruction began in 1500, but the project ran out of money around 1550, by which point only the choir and transept had been finished. That surviving fragment — a late-Gothic choir with side chapels and sacristies — is the oldest part standing today, dating to the first half of the 16th century. The rest of the church had to wait more than three centuries: around 1900, it was substantially enlarged in neo-Gothic style, adding the nave and giving the building its current, much larger cross-shaped footprint. Walk from the entrance toward the altar and the shift is legible in the stone itself — a 19th/20th-century nave leading into a noticeably older 16th-century choir.

What should visitors notice?

The church is a Gothic building laid out in the classic cross plan, with a clearly defined transept and tower. Since 1937 it has held protected monument status, which recognizes both the surviving late-Gothic core and the later neo-Gothic additions as part of the region's built heritage. That protection is also why the older choir section has been preserved carefully rather than replaced during subsequent renovations.

The dedication to Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is not accidental — it echoes the parish's presumed medieval ties to the Abbey of Nivelles, of which Gertrude was the founding abbess. The church remains an active place of worship for the Machelen-Diegem parish community rather than a purely historical monument, so visitors will typically find it functioning as a working church alongside its architectural interest.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the church located? On Kerklaan in the center of Machelen, Flemish Brabant, immediately adjacent to Brussels and close to Brussels Airport in Zaventem.

Which part of the church is oldest? The late-Gothic choir and transept, together with their adjoining chapels and sacristies, built in the first half of the 16th century.

Why does the church mix architectural styles? Because it was built in two widely separated phases: a 16th-century choir completed after fire destroyed the earlier medieval church, and a much larger neo-Gothic nave added around 1900.

Is the building legally protected? Yes, it has been listed as a protected monument since 1937.