Voormezele: Church, Abbey Traces and Memorial Sites

Voormezele brings together several historical themes: the parish church and traces of the former Augustinian abbey, military memorial sites, and the Holy Blood tradition. If you are weighing church and monastic history, memorial sites or religious tradition when planning your trip, you can consider these themes separately.

Parish Church and Former Abbey

The parish church in Voormezele was rebuilt in 1923 to replace the church destroyed in 1914. It is an eclectic basilica-type building; its design draws on regional Romanesque Revival and Neo-Byzantine architecture. When classifying it, the building type and stylistic influences can be distinguished: “basilica-type” describes the building type, while Romanesque Revival and Neo-Byzantine architecture are the design influences. Eclectic describes the combination of different stylistic features.

Stone remains of the former abbey have been preserved in the portal of the parish church, including a holy-water font, a cartouche and a shield. The foundations of the former Augustinian Abbey of Voormezele were discovered during excavations east of the present-day parish church between 1989 and 1991. The dates mark different historical periods: 1914 refers to the destruction of the previous church, and 1923 to its reconstruction; the excavations from 1989 to 1991, by contrast, concern the foundations of the former abbey.

Military Cemeteries and Remembrance

Ridge Wood Cemetery in Voormezele is a protected monument; this protection has been in force since 1 April 2009. The current register lists 595 identified and 26 unidentified military burials there. The British military cemetery Voormezeele Enclosures No 1 and No 2 is located along Voormezeledorp, northwest of the parish church. The current register lists 599 military burials there; this site is also designated as a protected monument. Protection status and burial figures should be distinguished: the designation concerns monument status, while the register figures refer to military burials.

Landscape and Orientation

Voormezele is included in the designated landscape area “Ieperse vestingen en omgeving, bossen ten zuiden en heuvelrug Wijtschate-Mesen,” which includes the Palingbeek cultural landscape. The route and the landscape designation indicate two different spatial scales: Voormezele lies on the Heuvelland Route and is also included in a named landscape area.

Nearby is Oak Dump Cemetery, about two kilometres east of Voormezele. The British military cemetery is located in the De Palingbeek provincial domain, south of The Bluff, and adjoins the golf course. The approximate distance is supplemented by further named reference points.

Holy Blood Tradition

The Heilig Bloedprocessie continues as an annual tradition in Voormezele. The novena to the Holy Blood currently begins on Whit Sunday, lasts eight days until Trinity Sunday, and ends with the Holy Blood Procession. If the procession is important to your travel plans, check the event dates in advance; the schedule is tied to Whit Sunday and Trinity Sunday.

Discover more destinations: Zillebeke, Elverdinge, Boezinge, Vlamertinge, Hollebeke

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