Pilgrimage Traditions
For centuries, the church has attracted large numbers of pilgrims. Their offerings were collected in an imposing oak donation chest, roughly hewn and secured with three heavy padlocks, large enough to hold substantial contributions.
A curious feature can be found at the rear of the church: a small service window recalling an old custom whereby parishioners offered live animals—such as rabbits, chickens, or geese—as donations. After Mass, these animals were auctioned for the benefit of the church. According to local legend, one farmer succeeded in offering the same goose eight times, each time buying it back after the service.
The Interior
Inside, the church’s rich and venerable interior bears witness to its storied past:
- Wooden panelling lines the walls, setting a warm, solemn atmosphere.
- A fully carved wooden Stations of the Cross delights visitors with its detailed craftsmanship.
- On the pillars of the central nave, medieval frescoes of the apostles still remain, remnants of older devotional art.
- Some choir windows date from the 18th century, while others were lost to wartime bombardment and replaced in the early 1960s with more contemporary stained glass.
These layers of tradition and artistry combine to make Saint Catherine and Saint Cornelius Church one of Diegem’s most cherished historic treasures, connecting past and present for both locals and visitors alike.
The altars
In 1642-1643 parish priest Joannes vander Eycken had Michiel vanden Bergen, a Brussels marble worker, make a Renaissance marble portico altar for Saint Cornelius, for 1,900 guilders. The altarpiece, the Glorification of Saint Cornelius, shows pilgrims and sick people; an old man offers a sack of grain bearing the initials IVHB. It was long thought to be the work of Gaspar de Crayer, but the accounts show that Jan van Houbraecken, a contemporary of Rubens, painted it. The relics lie beneath the painting, and beside it stands the oak statue of Cornelius from 1543 in papal vestments.
The altar of Our Lady, by the same maker and at the same price, dates from 1649-1650. Its painting was replaced several times: in 1803 by an Adoration of the Shepherds by the Mechelen painter Bernaerts, which now hangs above the font, and in 1840 by a canvas by Du Mortier of Tournai showing Mary giving the rosary to Saint Dominic, surrounded by the fifteen mysteries. The neo-Gothic high altar in white stone came from Leuven after 1810; its retable shows Cornelius healing a sick man and Catherine before her judges.
Vault bosses, choir and pulpit
The vault bosses show Jesus with the globe, St Anthony Abbot, Daniel in the lions' den, the Lamb of God under the tower, tools in the nave, Cornelius in the right transept and Mary with the Child in the left. The choir is lined with oak panelling in Louis XV style from 1726, in which every panel is different; the confessional with Peter and Mary Magdalene bears the date 1715. The choir also holds the funeral hatchments of the Le Boucq de Beaudignies family, with the motto ‘Maintenir fault’.
The Baroque pulpit of 1687 was ordered by parish priest Van Langendonck. Jan De Smet was the contractor, Jacobus van Meerbeke did the joinery and the young Peeter vande Stichel the carving; because he was still so young, his father was paid. A dove hovers beneath the sounding board above the tub, supported by two angels. The tub shows six medallions: God the Father, Christ, Mary, Joseph, Cornelius and Catherine. Beneath it is a female figure with chalice and cross, the symbol of the Church. The organ dates from 1792, the communion rail from 1823.
Vestments and treasures
The church owns a complete set of red velvet vestments with gold decoration, made in 1761 by Hubertus Teckman in honour of Cornelius and Catherine, for 1,600 guilders, and a very old cope embroidered with the works of mercy, which was completed into a full set in 1882-1885. There is also a missal printed by Plantin in Antwerp (1737), an offering dish of 1627 and a Baroque chalice of 1664. In a theft on 22 April 1974 the six candlesticks of the Cornelius altar and two silver censers were among the items stolen.
Font and Stations of the Cross
The font was brought from Brussels in 1543. It first stood at the back of the church behind wrought iron, and in 1775 moved into the new baptistery in the former south porch. In 1861 it was given a white marble base; the copper lid remained, crowned by a small temple, the baptism of Christ in the Jordan and God the Father. The oak Stations of the Cross, set into the panelling, were carved in 1880-1884 by Fr. De Vriendt of Borgerhout, for 765 francs per station. On the thirteenth station he portrayed parish priest Ketelbant, who had commissioned the work.