Bissegem / Bichengen / Bissenghem / Bissengiem

The font in this church is modern, 19th-century. We have no information on the font(s) of the medieval and earlier church(es) here.
A communication to BSI from Pol Herman (e-mail of 8 February 2026) informs: "Bissegem, Sint-Audomaruskerk. I mention this church only because a new baptismal font and a new altar were consecrated by the bishop last week. Consecration of fonts by bishops is no myth.
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint_Audomaruskerk. 1107: Bichengen, 1206: Bissengiem. 1238: Bissenghem. The oldest mention of the parish of Bichengen dates from 1107 in a letter from Pope Paschal II, confirming the ownership by the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, which held patronage rights over the parish church of Bissegem until the French Revolution. 1206: Gualterus de Huela states to the Bishop of Tournai, that he had relinquished the altar of Bissegem in favor of Saint-Amand's Abbey in Pevele (Saint-Amand-les-Eaux). The name "Bissigen" is therefore found in the 13th-century charter book of Saint-Amand's Abbey. The village itself, however, was in the hands of the Chapter of Saint-Omer, who was the secular lord. Furthermore, in the Cartulary of Groeninghe Abbey in Kortrijk from 1353, we find the spelling "Bissenghem." There was a Romanesque church from before 1206, of which little is known. [...] 16th century: In the second half of this century, the church was damaged by raids of Calvinist troops. 17th century: During the wars of Louis XIV of France, the building was damaged again. French period: In 1798, the church was closed by the French revolutionaries and temporarily used as a stable. Due to the rapid population growth in the municipality, the old church in the cemetery had become too small. The church stood also close to the Leie River, which regularly flooded. To accommodate for the strong population growth caused by industrialization, a Neo-Romanesque church was built in 1872, closer to the village centre and on higher ground.
However, this soon proved too small. Therefore, the current Neo-Gothic church was built in 1898. About ten years ago, the municipality wanted to close the church, but there was protest. In 2024-2025, the building underwent a thorough renovation and repurposing. The church was transformed into a multifunctional community centre. It houses a library, an art academy, a police station, a neighbourhood vigilance centre, and a community centre. A small part of the church remains designated for Catholic worship and was reconsecrated by the bishop last week. Baptismal registers date back to 1606. The Neo-Romanesque baptismal from around 1872 will not be used in the future."