Hoeke church

Location: Sint-Jacobsstraat, 8340 Hoeke [gps]
Accessibility: freely accessible

The romantic small church is not only worthwhile on the outside.  The interior has been finished in a colourful way and the wooden arched roof reminds us of the hull of a ship.  And that is not a coincidence.

The patron saint of the church of Hoeke is "St.-Jacob de Meerdere".  The first records of the church take us back to the year 1260.  Tower and nave still date back to that date!  Between 1637 and 1640, the building was repaired after it fell prey to the Geuzen (protestant religious rebels).  Between 1900 and 1902 she was again thoroughly repaired. After the Second World War, the church was restored to her original condition after she had become a target for (allied) artillery in the fall of 1944.

Despite the war, quite a lot of original old pieces have been preserved such as: old tombstones dating back to the 16th century, paintings from the 16th century,...  The churchbells from 1649 unfortunately burst in the 60's and no longer can be found in the church but were replaced by another clock.  It is said that Edward IV, king of England, visited this church.  According to some sources however, it would rather have been Edward III who came here after the seabattle of 1340, in which he destroyed the French fleet in the mouth of the Zwin.

This church is a protected monument