Abbey St. Paul, Wisques
The
community of St. Pauls abbey at Wisques was forced to
leave France in 1901. They went to Belgium and lived at first in Honnay, near Namur. They went to Oosterhout in 1906 and
started there the St. Pauls abbey. Dom Bellot constructed this abbey and worked
from there until 1929.
When the
monks returned to France in 1920 a few of them stayed in Oosterhout, Dom Bellot
also. Most of the French monks left to Wisques and
occupied the abbey again.
It was a ancient Château, modified in1889 by architect Paul Vilain
from Lille.
In 1928 Dom
Bellot moves from Oosterhout to Wisques and continues
his atelier from this abbey at Wisques, leaving
Hendrik van de Leur behind, who would continue the
work in The Netherlands as his associé-compagnon.
|
|
View at the
backside of the abbey. This part is
designed by Dom Bellot. Behind the
rectangular windows is the refectory. Next and beneath
the cloister, build next to the
ancient Château. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
original plans were to build an entire new abbey at the site of the Château. At
the east of the old Château Bellot started in 1930 the extension of the abbey,
building a refectory, kitchen, cloister and rooms for the monks. Further
extension was planned, because the foundations for a rectangular cloister are
still present nowadays. When the new abbey was finished, the Château would be
demolished...
In the
second world war the German army occupied the abbey. They complained about the
small kitchen and extended it, in style. After the war the monks returned, but they
never completed the abbey to the original plans of Bellot.
About 1960
architect Joseph Philippe, a former pupil of Bellot, designed an east-wing
matching the style of the part Bellot designed in 1930. It contains a chapel,
the library and more rooms for the monks. A small belfry at the south-east side
of the complex is also designed by Philippe.
|
Cloister |
|
|
|
|
The
cloister has twill arches made of bricks. These arches are decorated with
different colours of brick and near the statue of the virgin Mary coloured
bricks are used to decorate the wall. The other walls are surprisingly plain.
The cloister at the north is designed by Bellot, the part at the east is made
by Philippe. At the west-end two naves of the cloister are closed by a
temporary wooden wall with door, since 1930...
|
The
refectory has a ceiling of concrete, supported by brick columns. The pulpit
is made out of concrete and decorated by painter father François Mes
OSB. Bellot isn’t
using much colour in this refectory. Only a belt of coloured brick at about 1
metre height is used to decorate. The concrete beams are painted orange and
green. On the floor different tiles are used to create the same mosaic like
in the cloister. The
stained-glass windows are yellow-red coloured. Part of
the original refectory is nowadays the chapter house of the community. Its
east wall is rich decorated, as can be seen here below. |
|
|
|
|
|
On the
first and second floor the rooms of the monks are situated. The typical
architecture of Bellot can be found at the staircase.
|
|
|
The new chapel,
designed by Joseph Philippe in 1960 is clearly inspired by the refectory
Philippe succeeded to match the style of Bellot. |
|
Photo's: A.W.A. Lukassen and A.A. Lukassen, July 2010
We wish to thank the monks of Wisques
for their generous hospitality.