#discoverbelgium

Hendrik Conscienceplein

Since 1883, Hendrik Conscience Square is named after the 19th-century Flemish writer Hendrik Conscience whose statue has been placed on the square. Before that it was called Jesuit Square because the Jesuits built the square in its current form. The partly 17th-century buildings around the square are characterized by a Baroque style. This is especially true for the imposing St. Carolus Borromeo Church, a former Jesuit church. The baroque style of the buildings around the square, with great pomp and splendor, was consciously stimulated by the Jesuits. As part of the Counter Reformation, the order wanted to encourage the population to come to their churches in all kinds of ways. Hence the difference in height of 8 meters between the front of the Sint Carolus Borromeus church and the rear with nothing behind just to make it look more imposant. A 17th century publicity stunt to attract more people. The entire square has been tiled with cobble stones. If you look closely you can see the 4 symbols of the card game (heart, club, diamond, spade). The photo is taken under the Sodality (oldest part of Hendrik Conscience heritage library), a wide passage that connects Conscienceplein with the Jesuitsrui, popularly called the “Jesuitengat". In 1927 a bronze memorial plaque in honor of August Snieders, a writer, was placed. In 1975 this square became the first auto-free square in the city, created through the efforts of local residents and some well-known artists such as Hugo Heyrman and Panamarenko. #erfgoedbibliotheekhendrikconscience #cityview #discoverbelgium #kidsoceanworld #themepark#zoo#nationalpark#lakes