Vosselare

The towns of our Meetjesland in Flanders, Belgium

Vosselare

The earliest mention of the name "Furslare" dates from 1087 in a copy of the 13th Century. The first part "furs" means gorse, whin and the second part "laar" means a piece of untilled land.

Vosselare had its own lords until the 14th Century but then became the property of the Seigneurs of Nevele. The most important Seigneury, the "Hof ter Mere" (hof = farm), was part of the tenant farm of Nevele. The walled in castle "ter Mere" was the headquarters of the Seigneury.

A document of 1087 mentions for the first time a church. This was no doubt a wooden church. The church that was last restored in 1893 according to the plans of architect A. Van Assche had a tower and a spire of the 14th - 15th Century entirely built with white stone from Balegem. In the frontage of the current church also in white stone from Balegem, fragments of the old frontage, are still visible. On 22 October 1918 the Germans destroyed the church. It was replaced with a late-Gothic cruciform church with 3 naves and with a small octogonal church. This church was blown up on 24-25 May 1940. Its furniture didn't survive the Second World War either.

The church was rebuilt after WW II but hardly resembles the original even though it is still a cruciform church with 3 naves now under one saddle roof. It is built of sand stone and no doubt the lower parts of the walls were kept. Several tombstones dating from the 14th and 15th Century lie in the church, some of the Van der Meersch family of Nevele dating from the 15th Century. The church organ was built by Loncke and it produces a great sound.

Every year at the end of June there is a horse blessing ceremony.

The source of the above is the excellent "Streekgids Meetjesland", 1998, pp. 125-126 by Jan Luyssaert. See also: Our Sources.

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