General.  The symbol of the village of Lissewege is the church with its impressive flat tower which looks way oversized for such a small place.  Towering high above the green polderlandscape, it can be seen from far away and it defenitely worth a visit.

Brief history.  According to a legend, the church was built on the place where fishermen found a miracle statue of Mary.  Although the village was and still is of modest size, the church is not. Lissewege was a stop for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostella, so the construction of the monumental church may have been funded by donations from these pilgrims.

The church was built between 1225 and 1275 in gothic style.  Because of lack of funds, the tower was never entirely finished.  The story that the tower was deliberately made flat to use it as a lighthouse, is just a fable.  Pilgrims that used Lissewege as a stop on their way to Santiago, had their own Saint-Jacobsaltar in the church.  During the iconoclastic fury, the church was seriously damaged (1586).  Only as from 1624 repairs started.  The church has been thoroughly restored in recent years.

Address: Onder de Toren