Early history

The Augustinians settled in Brussels in 1589 and occupied the convent of the Brethren of the Common Life, which had been located on the banks of the river Senne in the city centre since 1336. The church was built from 1620 to 1642 in the Brabantine Baroque style according to plans by the architect Jacob Franquart. Closed by French revolutionary troops in 1796,^[1] the church, as the only remaining part of the convent, reopened for Roman Catholic worship in 1805. In the run-up to the Battle of Waterloo (1815), it served as an arsenal for British troops and subsequently as a military hospital.^[3]

Under Dutch rule, the building was designated a Protestant place of worship,^[1] alongside the Brussels Protestant Church on the Place du Musée/Museumplein,^[4] and the Dutch Church (Nederlandse gemeente) met in the Temple from 1816 until the Belgian Revolution in 1830.^[3] The first Reformed service was held on 1 September 1816, and Hermannus Pauw and Dirk Rijke served as ministers from 1816 until 1830. On 27 March 1817, the future King William III of the Netherlands was baptised in the Temple. Anglican Reverend Holworthy, chaplain to the British Ambassador, held English-language services in the Temple until 1829.

The last Protestant service was held on 21 August 1830. From 5 September, the building was occupied by Belgian patriots. Many of the worshippers fled the city and the Dutch Church was left without a building, meeting in various locations before it eventually built its own premises at Zuidkaai in 1857.

• 
  The Augustinian Monastery depicted in Chorographia Sacra Brabantiae, 17th century
• 
  Baptism of King William III of the Netherlands in the Temple of the Augustinians, 1817
• 
  The Augustinian Temple, when it served as a Protestant church, 1830

Later usage, demolition and partial rebuilding

After 1830, the Temple served various purposes: for performances, exhibitions, and even as a post office. It survived the covering of the Senne (1867–1871), a drastic destruction and renovation of downtown Brussels.^[5][6] At the centre of the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein, the church's facade was intended by the architect Léon Suys to be one of the focal points of new central boulevards.^[7] The work to cover the river, which nearly surrounded the church, preserved the integrity of the building at great trouble and expense, but it was finally demolished in 1893, its style no longer popular with the people and its presence unsuitable for the area.^[2] The church was replaced by a fountain-obelisk dedicated to the memory of the former mayor of the City of Brussels, Jules Anspach.^[8][9]

The Temple was demolished in 1893–94. Its facade's masonry, however, was preserved, being disassembled and reconstructed as the facade of the Church of the Holy Trinity on the Parvis de la Trinité/Drievuldigheidsvoorplein in Ixelles.^[1][2] Its Baroque pulpit by Marc de Vos (1697) now adorns the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon in the Sablon/Zavel district. The Rue des Augustins/Augustijnenstraat, a side street leading into the Place de Brouckère from the south-west, still reminds of the Temple's former presence there.

• 
  Rear view of the Temple during the covering of the Senne, 1867–1871
• 
  Facade of the Temple on the Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein, 1867–1871
• 
  View of the Temple in a painting by Franz Gailliard, 1884
• 
  Another rear view of the Temple shortly before demolition, by Gailliard, 1890
• 
  Facade of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ixelles, 2016

Citations

Bibliography

• Demey, Thierry (1990). Bruxelles, chronique d'une capitale en chantier (in French). Vol. I: Du voûtement de la Senne à la jonction Nord-Midi. Brussels: Paul Legrain/CFC. OCLC 44643865.
• De Roose, Fabien (1999). De fonteinen van Brussel (in Dutch). Tielt: Lannoo. ISBN 978-90-209-3838-8.
• Eggericx, Laure (1997). Les Boulevards du Centre. Bruxelles, ville d'Art et d'Histoire (in French). Vol. 20. Brussels: Centre d'information, de Documentation et d'Etude du Patrimoine.
• Henne, Alexandre; Wauters, Alphonse (1845). Histoire de la ville de Bruxelles (in French). Vol. 3. Brussels: Perichon.
• Gérard, Hervé (2023). Bruxelles et ses places (in French). Brussels: 180° éditions. ISBN 978-2-940721-32-0.
• Terlinden, Charles (1964). Histoire du Temple des Augustins et de l'église de la Sainte-Trinité (in French). Gembloux: J. Duculot.
• Van Havermaet, Henri (1890). Souvenirs d'un vieux Bruxellois. Le Temple des Augustins à Bruxelles (in French). Brussels: Alliance typographique.