Saint-Remy church

Dedicated to Saint Rémy who baptized Clovis, king of the Franks, at the end of the 5th century, this church in Ittre in Roman Païs became the setting for a treasure entrusted to it by the last nuns of Aywières fleeing the French Revolution... The present edifice (1898), in Neo-Romanesque ogival style, incorporates the Gothic chapel of Notre Dame d'Ittre, which dates from 1590, in the northern side-aisle. This replaced the previous one, dating from 1351. Inside, the extraordinary pictorial decoration recalls some Romanesque churches of France (in particular the medallions devoted to the 12 apostles, with an extremely rare depiction of Judas). The amazing vaults with their integrated iron framework, according to the method of Gustave Eiffel, and the ciborium (canopy above the altar) in polychrome wood lend a distinguished note to the entire edifice. The oak statue of Notre-Dame of Ittre, in the old chapel, was venerated throughout the ages. It is originally from Bois-Seigneur-Isaac, a village close to Nivelles, and dates from approximately 1270. During the plague of 1336, Notre-Dame de Bois-Seigneur-Isaac was carried through the region from village to village in the hope of stopping the pestilence. When the epidemic ended, Ittre no longer wanted to return the statue, believed to be miraculous, and built a chapel for it. The stained glass windows of Notre-Dame of Ittre illustrate this story and that of the pilgrimage that began in 1336. Saint Remy Church also has an interesting treasury, given to it by the last nuns of Aywières fleeing the French Revolution. Among the items saved is the shrine of Saint Lutgardis, a nun of the Cistercian abbey of Aywières deceased in 1246. It is a 1624 piece from Liège in repoussé silver. But the treasury also contains the wooden shrine of Saint Sybille de Cages (1643), as well as a reliquary of the True Cross from the 15th century. If you are curious and attentive, you may find in the façade of the present church a little rosary cross, placed there by a worker from Ittre who participated in the construction of the building...