St. Jan Berchmans Church, Brussels
| Church of St. John Berchmans Eglise Saint Jean Berchmans |
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Rear apse of the church on the Boulevard Saint Michel, Brussels, Belgium
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium |
| Geographic coordinates | 50°50′05″N 4°24′26″E / 50.83472°N 4.40722°ECoordinates: 50°50′05″N 4°24′26″E / 50.83472°N 4.40722°E |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Rite | Latin Rite |
| Country | Belgium |
| Year consecrated | 9 July 1912 |
| Status | Oratory |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Joseph Prémont |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Romanesque revival |
| General contractor | Society of Jesus |
| Groundbreaking | 20 July 1908 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | NW |
| Length | 60 metres (200 ft) |
| Width | 35 metres (115 ft) |
| Width (nave) | 13 metres (43 ft) |
| Spire(s) | 2 |
The Church of St. John Berchmans (French: Saint Jean Berchmans, Dutch: Sint Jan Berchmans) is the Roman Catholic church of St Michael College in Brussels, Belgium. Founded by the Society of Jesus at the turn of the 20th century, the church is dedicated to the Belgian Jesuit saint St. Jan Berchmans.
The purpose of the church was to form the vital center of the newly created Collège Saint Michel. It was built in the same architectural style as the rest of the school buildings. Msg. Giovanni Tacci Porcelli, Nuncio to Belgium, laid the foundation stone of the church on 20 July 1908. Architect Joseph Prémont was inspired by the Rhenan Romanesque tradition of the Middle Ages. The church is of Rhenan Romanesque revival style and was consecrated on 9 July 1912 by the Bishop of Galle, Joseph van Reeth SJ .
The façade, made of grey freestone and rose stone from the Gileppe, is decorated with a statue of Saint Michael the Archangel, patron saint of the Collège. Two Romanesque entrances on the apse's right and left side lead to an antechamber.
The church is built in a Latin Cross plan with a central nave and two aisles, cut by a small transept. The nave on three levels is divided in four spans by two times three monolithic barrelled columns of polished Labrador granite. The capitals, made of white Euville stone, are all decorated with different motifs. The choir ends in a semi-circular apse under a five-sided arch. The back of the church also forms a semi-circular apse, inspired by the style of the Romanesque churches of the region of the Rhine.
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