Deerlijk / D'Eerlyck / Derlike / Therslinghem / Trelleke / Trellighem / Tresleca

Baptismal font of 1873 listed and illustrated in BALaT KIK-IRPA [https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/72435] [accessed 27 January 2026].
A communication to BSI from Pol Herman (e-mail of 4 January 2026) informs: "Derlike (1070), Tresleca (1111), Therslinghem (1120), Trelleke (1181), D'Eerlyck, Trellighem. Gallo-Roman settlement (2nd-3rd century). The church is dedicated to Columba of Sens. According to legend, the church was founded in 654 by saint Amand. However, this must be considered unlikely. The only other Belgian church dedicated to saint Columba is in Soulme (BSI 04839SOU), where some claim a Christian community existed as early as the 6th century. Are these early dates a coincidence?
The book "The Desclergues of la Villa Ducal de Montblanc" by N. Declercq suggests a connection between the veneration of Columba in Deerlijk and the village of Santa Coloma de Queralt, through his ancestors. The settlement of Derlike probably originated in the 10th century. A church was first mentioned in writing in 1119. It was probably a small wooden chapel. In 1181, Evrard (Everhard) of Avesnes, Bishop of Tournai, ceded the Trelleke altar to the Tournai chapter. He thereby placed the church under the patronage of the chapter's canons, affiliated with his Cathedral of Our Lady. This chapter was henceforth responsible for the church's construction and maintenance. In the second half of the 12th century, the older chapel was replaced by a Romanesque cruciform church, made of Tournai bluestone. This church had a crossing tower, a flat, closed choir, a transept, and a three-aisled nave. In the following centuries (the exact date is unknown), the Romanesque cruciform church became too small. It was converted into a larger gothic hall church. During the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), Deerlijk suffered greatly. At the end of the 16th century, the church was partially in ruins, probably due to the iconoclastic fury, or one of the many rebellions by protestants, or by raids of Ostend pirates. During the Twelve Years' Truce, from 1609 onwards, the village was rebuilt. The church was likely reduced in size on this occasion. The current classical St. Columba's church was built between 1774 and 1776. The last parts of the Romanesque church to be demolished did not disappear until 1788.
Baptismal registers from 1629 onwards. Baptismal font of white marble, donated in 1873 https://balat.kikirpa.be/object/72435. There is no trace of the older specimens."