Kuttekoven No. 1 / Cuttinchoven

The 19th-century font and cover in use here is listed and illustrated in BALaT KIK-IRPA [https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/83719] [accessed 17 February 2024]: "doopfont [...] neo-Romaans [...] Date: 1841 - 1860". The present font and cover are modern, illustrated in Stad Borgloon / Sociaal Huis Borgloon (OCMW) [https://www.borgloon.be/te-koop-kerk-van-kuttekoven] [accessed 17 February 2024], but, next to them, on the ground is a fragment of what appears to be the lower base of an earlier font showing the contours of a broad central shaft and four outer colonnettes [cf. ImagesArea]. Could this be the base of the original late-Romanesque font here? A communication to BSI from Pol Herman (e-mail of 10 October 2023) informs of recent develoments related to this church: "In 1840, the old Romanesque church was considered dilapidated and a new, neoclassical church was built against the old tower, which was consecrated in 1850. Due to the shortage of employment, the rural village has suffered depopulation since the beginning of the 20th century. The building was closed in November 2006 due to its dilapidated condition. Protective repair works were carried out by the city of Borgloon in 2008-2009. But the building remained empty. Kuttekoven and its church became world famous when the artist Tom Herck installed his “Holy Cow” there in 2017. For Herck, a crucified cow above a puddle of milk was an indictment of society's wastefulness. But Catholics saw it as a blasphemy and vandals tried to destroy the work of art and set fire to the empty church. Neither noisy demonstrations nor silent prayerful protests could stop Kuttekoven from suddenly becoming world famous. The disused church was finally sold to a private investor in 2021 and waits for a new role in society [...] More interesting however is that the remains of a Roman villa were discovered in 1973 at the site of the church. During the excavation, a stoop or small baptismal font made from a fragment of a Roman capital was unearthed. I have no further information yet. Reference : Smeesters, 1973 : “Kuttekoven, Romeinse bouwresten”, in Archeologie, 1973-2, 70" [cf. BSI entry for Kuttehoven No. 2 for the re-cycled Roman fragment] A further communication to BSI from Pol Herman (e-mail of 19 February 2024) includes photographs (2005-2008) of the lower base fragment and permissions from Jean-Claude Ghislain, and a confirmation by him that "He does not know what happened to it when the church was sold to a private investor in 2021". Pol Herman further notes that he is aware that "The base is mentioned in two articles that I have not managed to find yet: 'Bondige inventaris der kunstvoorwerpen van het arrondissement Tongeren' (XI, 1960, p. 240); and 'La mémoire de Danny Janssens' (p. 93, n° 94 afb. 191)."