Grammene / Grimmine

Baptismal font listed and illustrated in BALaT KIK-IRPA [https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/69199] [accessed 8 January 2026]: "doopvont [...] Date: 1401 - 1500 [...] hoogte: 108 cm"; the metal cover is also listed (ibid.) as made of copper and dated to the 18th century. The entry for this church in the Dutch Wikipedia notes that the bluestone base of the baptismal font is probably 15th-century: "en het doopvont met achthoekige, blauw hardstenen voet is waarschijnlijk 15e-eeuws".
A communication to BSI from Pol Herman (e-mail of 7 January 2026) informs: "According to legend, the church of Grammene was founded together with the church of Gottem by two sisters who could not agree on a location for a new church. One became 'gram' (which means discontented) and founded Grammene, the other Gottem. A "Figurative map with the tithe districts for the benefit of the Chapter of Saint Bavo" drawn up in 1674 shows a typical figure-eight structure with a circular moated 'lord's residence': a castral motte, with a circular hedged plot to the north containing the church in the courtyard. This may therefore be an early medieval castral site with its “eigenkirke”. In 1121, the church was first mentioned under the name Grimmine, when the Bishop of Tournai granted patronage rights to the Abbey of Saint Bavo in Ghent. The lordship of Grammene belonged to the Grammina family in the 12th and 13th centuries. The old church had an octagonal west tower, which was probably originally a crossing tower or a Romanesque church and dated back to the 13th century. It was a single-nave cruciform church, which was modified in the 16th and 18th centuries. The church was set on fire by iconoclasts in 1592, and during its restoration around 1609, the tower was raised. By 1902, the church had been destroyed by vandals and had fallen into disrepair. A new, neo-Gothic church was built from 1903 to 1908. Only the old brick tower remained. Visit reports by the deacon noted that there was no baptismal font in 1613 and 1617. Later reports made no comments. Therefore, the current baptismal font must be more recent, probably first quarter 17th c. Thus also the baptismal font of Bachte must be from that period."