Marc Dessauvage and Church Building in Flanders 1945-1975

Fifty years ago, the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) was held in Rome. As far as liturgy was concerned, it called for a radical simplification and a greater involvement of the faith community. The impact of this on church architecture was most radically expressed in Belgium in the work of Marc Dessauvage (1931-1984). His church buildings were built of brick, concrete and glass, and had no bell tower or crucifixes on the outside. In the post-conciliar spirit, the church building was no longer a temple to an abstract deity, but a house for the faithful community. Fifty years later, the context has changed radically and almost all of Dessauvage's church buildings are under threat. This research wants to map this heritage thoroughly, and should lead to a monographic publication on the church building of Marc Dessauvage, viewed from a local and international perspective. The research will be carried out by Michel D'Hoe.