Olmen No. 2 / Olmele

A baptismal font in this church is listed and illustrated in BALaT KIK-IRPA [https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/66876] [accessed 21 September 2024]: "fonts baptismaux [...] marmer [...] Date: 1701 - 1800 [...] hoogte: 177 cm" [includes the font cover]. The entry for this church in the Inventaris Onroerend Erfgoed [https://inventaris.onroerenderfgoed.be/erfgoedobjecten/52234] [accessed 21 September 2024] reports an 18th-century baptismal font made of marble in this church: "marmeren doopvont uit de 18de eeuw." The same information appears in the Belgian Wikipedia [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Willibrorduskerk_(Olmen)] [accessed 21 September 2024] mentions a baptismal font made of marble in the 18th-century in it: "Er is een 18e-eeuwse marmeren doopvont". A communication to BSI from Pol Herman (e-mail of 12 September 2024) reports that head fragments from two different fonts are found in the church: two of them inside the church, and three other heads buil into the outer walls of the tower: "The church of Olmen was originally a private church, i.e. a church that was owned by the lord of Olmen. The church was built on his land. The area between the church and the Asbeek also belonged to the lord of Olmen until the French period. Behind the church was a manor farm with a rampart. This building was owned by the lord, but was inhabited by a tenant. The fact that the church was originally a private church suggests that it was built in the Middle Ages. Since the church of Olmen was originally dedicated to Our Lady and later to Saint Willibrord, its origins probably fit in with the early medieval Christianization period (7th-8th century). The first church was located more than one kilometer further south, more specifically on the site of the current Boskapel. Most historians place the shift of the village centre and the church to the north in the 11th-12th century. No traces of a church built in this period have been found so far. A new church was built in the 14th century or the 15th century. The current church tower dates from the end of the 15th century. The altar was consecrated in 1499. Further historical sources are lacking. The head fragments: 1) High up in the tower, three heads of a Mosan Romanesque baptismal font are integrated. Probably from 1170-1220. This must be the font used in the church after the shift of the village centre. 2) In the church, two heads of a Mosan Gothic baptismal font are preserved. They must be 16th century."