Church of Our Lady and St. Peter ( Dutch. Sint-Pietersabdijkerk , FR. Saint-Pierre de Gand ) is a Catholic church in the city of Ghent ( Belgium ). The church is located in St. Peter's Square ( Dutch. Sint-Pietersplein ).
| Church | |
| Church of Our Lady and St. Peter | |
|---|---|
| niderl. Sint-pietersabdijkerk , fr. Saint-pierre de gand | |
 Western facade | |
| A country |  Belgium |
| City | Gent |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Diocese | Diocese of Ghent |
| Architectural style | Baroque architecture |
| Established | |
| Status | Acting |
History
Around 630, Saint Amand came to Ghent and founded two abbeys: Saint Bavon (at the intersection of the Lys and Scheldt rivers ) and Saint Peter on the hill of Blandainberg (in monte Blandinio) - the highest point in Ghent with an extensive view of the Scheldt river valley. The first abbot was Flaubert, one of the disciples of St. Amanda.
In 811, Charles the Great reconstructed the abbey of St. Peter and gave him the right to power and property. After the Viking attacks in 975 , Count of Flanders Arnulf the Great consecrated a new church built in 941 .
Between the 10th and 12th centuries, the abbey gained power, respect, and influence. At the turn of the XII and XIII centuries , the church of St. Peter was built in the Romanesque style . But this time was difficult for the abbey due to the economic crisis and religious conflicts of the XIII century. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries , a successful period again began for the abbey due to its extensive land tenure. The XVI century was marked by religious unrest, in 1566 the abbey and the church were badly damaged by the iconoclastic movement .
In 1629, under the leadership of Abbot Shaik, Bishop Tris laid the first stone of the Baroque church. A Jesuit monk and architect Peter Höyssens ( 1577 - 1637 ) were called to help in the construction. The work was carried out under the protection and patronage of Archduke Friedrich and Archduke Isabella, and the projects of Il-Jesu and St. Peter in Rome served as inspiration.
At the end of the 18th century, the French Revolution put an end to the centuries-old existence of the abbey. On November 1, 1796, the last monks were expelled, and their property confiscated. From that moment, the premises of the complex were given over to barracks for soldiers, and the church became a museum.
The Church of Our Lady, which was then the parish, was completely destroyed in 1799 , and the church (abbey) of St. Peter, which was saved thanks to one resident of Ghent, Karl Van Hultem, was used as a museum of painting.
After the decree on January 13, 1810 , when the service was restored, the church also became the parish of St. Peter and received the double name - “Church of Our Lady and St. Peter”. From 1860 to 1894, major restoration work was carried out. A marble floor was laid at the bottom of the church. The restoration of the outer side of the dome was carried out for the last time in 1969 - 1972 , in 1975 the bell tower, roof and facades were repaired, and in 2008 - the inner dome.
According to the 1995 dossier , restoration work should concern the western facade (front) and the southern facade (part of the abbey), and the interior of the premises should also be completely refreshed. Some paintings in the background (including the work of Quellinus and De Limmaker) were damaged due to repairs and water. For this, restoration is also planned and dossiers have been opened.
The monumental organ of Van Petegem was built in 1847 - 1848 by Pierre Van Petegem - a descendant of the famous kind of organ masters.