Worship
Some history
The principal forms of worship established in our municipality is the Roman Catholicism whose five churches and parishes are described hereafter. But the Oriental catholic, evangelic and israelite forms of worship are also present. The secularism is also present.
Saint-Pierre : This parish is the oldest one in our municipality. Saint Pierre is mentioned in a charter that reports the donation of Saint Pierre and its outbuildings by the Cambric bishop to the Abbey of Forest. Only the foundations of the original church built in Romance Style that were used to rebuild the church in 1755 still remain. Nowadays, this parish, in spite of the territorial modifications and losses, is the most important one in our municipality.
Notre Dame de Stockel : In the hamlet of Stockel, there was an oratory from the very start of the evangelization of our areas. But the Chapel of Notre-Dame or of the Visitation was mentionned, for the first time, in 1326. A parish was only created in 1326. The area of the parish was reduced twice: in 1910 for the creation of the Saint-Paul parish and in 1925 for the creation of the parish Notre-Dame de l’Assomption in Kappeleveld in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. The parish grew up so fast that a religious building was designed by the architects R. Aerts and P. Ramon and inspired of the most recent modern style in 1962.
Saint-Paul : This parish was created in 1911 and spread, at that time, over all the part of the South-east of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. There was nothing there except for a little chapel. In 1915, a more spacious building, located Avenue Parmentier, was used as a temporary chapel. It is only in 1941 that the new church was inaugurated in the Avenue du Hockey. That same year the parish was going to be divided at the expense of Saint-Alix. There is no doubt that the Saint-Paul church and its presbytery are the most beautiful architectural palces carried out in our municipality.
Sainte-Alix : Unlike Saint-Paul, this church was built before becoming a parish. It was built in 1935, on the racetrack of Stockel, because of the Wauquez family and it became a parish in 1941. The Second World War and the economic crisis will slow down the establishment of parcels in this district, but in 1957, during the construction of residences on the old racetrack, this parish encoutered its full blooming.
Notre-Dame des Grâces du Chant d’Oiseau : At the beginning of the 30s Franciscan monks came to settle at the Chant d’ Oiseau. They bought a ground of almost two hectares on which a monastery was soon set up. The cardinal Van Roye had let them settled there if they built a church for the new parish . The authorization was given to the monks in 1935. The church was blessed in 1949 and the large organs were inaugurated in 1981.
