Sint-Maternuskerk

Sint-Maternuskerk is a parish church in the Paspoel district of Tongeren, a town in Belgium's Limburg province. The building stands at the junction of Cottalaan and Sint-Maternusplein and is dedicated to Saint Maternus, from whom it takes its name.

What does the church look like?

The building has an unusual elliptical footprint, setting it apart from the rectangular parish churches typical of the region. Its walls are built of brick and the whole structure is topped with a flat roof. A defining feature of the facade is a continuous window band filled with concrete lattice work arranged in a geometric pattern — a solution characteristic of post-war sacred architecture, combining natural light with a raw, modernist aesthetic.

A rectangular portal extension, also covered with a flat roof, was added to the main volume to serve as the entrance. A separate element of the overall composition is a free-standing bell tower built as a concrete frame structure — it is not physically joined to the church body but stands beside it as an independent architectural accent.

When was the church built?

Sint-Maternuskerk was constructed in 1970-1971 to a design by architect Pierre Ulrix, and the building was consecrated in 1971. Notably, the plans and part of the interior fittings were developed with the involvement of the local pastor, Paul Perilleux, who collaborated on the project with Jef D'Huys, Mon Goovaerts, Dolf Rigo and René Boulet. Such direct involvement of a parish priest in shaping the interior was unusual and points to strong local investment in the specific form this church took.

The church therefore dates from a period when Western European sacred architecture favored bold new forms, moving away from traditional, historicizing patterns toward geometric volumes, concrete and glass. The elliptical plan and the detached bell tower fit squarely within that trend.

Where exactly is it located?

The church stands in the Paspoel district of Tongeren, one of Belgium's oldest towns, best known for its Roman-era remains and medieval old town. Sint-Maternuskerk, in contrast to that historic core, represents a completely different, twentieth-century architectural layer of the town. Its geographic coordinates are 50.775358, 5.451658.

Frequently asked questions

Is the church a historic landmark in the traditional sense? Not in the way Tongeren's medieval buildings are — Sint-Maternuskerk dates from the 1970s and represents the modernist current in sacred architecture rather than a centuries-old monument.

Who is the church named after? The building is dedicated to Saint Maternus, from whom its name derives.

What defines the building's architecture? Chiefly its elliptical floor plan, the continuous window band with concrete lattice work, and the free-standing concrete-frame bell tower set apart from the main body of the church.

Who designed the church? The design is credited to architect Pierre Ulrix, with the interior shaped in collaboration with pastor Paul Perilleux together with Jef D'Huys, Mon Goovaerts, Dolf Rigo and René Boulet.

In which part of Tongeren does the church stand? In the Paspoel district, at the junction of Cottalaan and Sint-Maternusplein.