14/08/2026
Did you know? There’s a “church” in Hasselt that isn’t actually a church?
This is CLAUSURA: A Spatial Memory at Herkenrode Abbey in Hasselt, Belgium.
A little history:
Herkenrode Abbey was founded in the late 12th century and became a Cistercian abbey in the 13th century. It eventually became one of the wealthiest abbeys in the Low Countries.
At the heart of the abbey stood a magnificent Gothic church. But in 1826, the church was destroyed by a devastating fire. Over the years, the historic heart of the abbey disappeared, leaving only fragments of the original complex.
Today, something incredible stands on the original location and at the original scale of the vanished church.
Instead of rebuilding it with bricks and stone, Belgian artist duo Gijs Van Vaerenbergh recreated its form using thousands of thin steel rods. The result is a giant, transparent structure that looks like a church drawn into the landscape. ✨
💡 Did you know?
From some angles, the steel structure almost disappears into the landscape. From others, you can clearly see the towers, arches, windows and roof of the lost church.
It is not meant to be an exact reconstruction. It is a way of bringing back the memory of a building that no longer exists.
And the timing is pretty remarkable. The first major phase of CLAUSURA opened in June 2026, exactly 200 years after the historic church was destroyed by fire. ❤️
📍 Herkenrode Abbey, Hasselt, Belgium
Would you visit this unique piece of history and art? 🇧🇪
