Brazil
Argentina
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Guyana
French Guiana
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
Uruguay
Venezuela
Germany
Austria
Croatia
Denmark
Spain
Finland
France
Greece
the Netherlands
Hungary
Ireland
Iceland
Italy
Luxembourg
Norway
Poland
Portugal
the United Kingdom
the Czech Republic
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
the United States
Mexico
the Dominican Republic
South Africa
Australia
Fiji
Church · Namur, Namur
Saint-Loup Church
Baroque church built by the Jesuits between 1621 and 1645, with a carved sandstone vault and red and black marble columns. It was upon leaving this church that the poet Charles Baudelaire fell ill in 1866.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Discover
About Saint-Loup Church
Église Saint-Loup began as the church of Saint-Ignace, attached to the Jesuit college in Namur. The design is by the Jesuit brother Pierre Huyssens, and construction began in 1621. The roof structure dates from 1641, and the church was consecrated in 1645.
The model was the church of the Gesù in Rome and that of Saint-Ignace in Antwerp. It is one of the richest examples of Baroque in the former Southern Netherlands. The main vault was carved from Maastricht sandstone, and the red and black marble columns add colour to the nave.
When the Jesuit order was suppressed in 1773, the building became a parish church under the invocation of Saint Loup in 1777. The present façade was rebuilt between 1864 and 1867.
The church entered literary history in 1866. The French poet Charles Baudelaire, who was giving lectures in Belgium, visited Saint-Loup when he suffered a stroke upon leaving. He had described the church's interior admiringly in his travel writings.
Before you go
Practical information
Cidade Turismo reviews its information regularly, but something may have changed. Check with the place before planning your trip.
How much time to set aside
About twenty minutes.
Best time
During the day, when the church is open. On cloudy days, switch on your phone's torch to see the details of the vault.
How to get there
It is on Rue du Collège in the historic center, between the Cathédrale Saint-Aubain and Place du Marché aux Légumes. From the train station it's about a ten-minute walk.
Tip
Look up: the carved sandstone vault is the detail that sets Saint-Loup apart from the other churches in the city. Rue Saint-Loup next door has small shops and second-hand stores. The church also hosts concerts and exhibitions at certain times.
Get your questions answered
Frequently asked questions about Saint-Loup Church
What is Saint-Loup's connection to Baudelaire?
In 1866, the poet Charles Baudelaire fell ill after leaving the church during a lecture tour of Belgium. The stroke left him unable to speak.
What is the church's vault made of?
It is made of carved Maastricht sandstone. The nave's columns are of red and black marble.