Saint Martin’s Church

Rubens completed this canvas in 1626, at the height of his career when he was commissioned by the Guild of Hop and Grain Merchants in Aalst. Saint Roch was their patron saint. The dramatic canvas shows him being appointed by Christ as the patron saint of plague victims, who are visible at the bottom of the painting. In fact Saint Roch caught the plague himself. He retreated to a forest, where a dog brought him bread every day. He reportedly died in prison in his hometown of Montpellier. In October 2023 this artwork will be moved to a restoration workshop for two years and will no longer be on display in the church.

An original 16th century mural depicting the Last Judgement was discovered here in the former chapter house of Sint-Martinuskerk in 1875. It is not clear exactly what this space was used for, why this scene was painted here and who the artist was. What is known is that the mural was applied in tempera, a combination of pigment and eggs. The image shows Christ seated on a rainbow and globe surrounded by Mary, John and several apostles. The judgement itself is depicted in the centre with a division between good (angel) and evil (demons, monsters, nudes). The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage conducted a preliminary examination of the work in 2017, which revealed that the mural is in good condition and has retained its quasi-authentic character to this day. However, a glossy and darkened layer of varnish and a considerable build-up of surface dirt had significantly affected the aesthetic quality of the artwork and they were consequently removed and retouched by Altri Tempi in the autumn of 2023