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Opposite the famous Wellington Museum, on Place Albert Premier, next to the Tourist Office, you’ll find the Saint-Joseph Church, which was originally a chapel.
The Royal Chapel, with its imposing dome, was completed in 1689 and blessed in 1690 in the presence of the Spanish Governor-General, the Marquis of Gastanaga (Belgium belonged to Spain at the time).
The Marquis had built it in the hope – which never materialized – that King Charles II would have an heir. This hope can still be seen on the porch pediment, between the two stone lions.
This is the last Spanish monument in Belgian history.
After the fighting of 1815, it became a British memorial. This is evidenced by the funerary plaques on the back walls of the church, evoking a few glittering pages of military action, several bas-reliefs dedicated to the soldiers and a bust of Wellington by Adams.
In 1824, construction began on the presbytery (to the right of the church, now the Waterloo Tourist Office).
But the Royal Chapel was in poor condition and too cramped for the Waterloo population.
In 1855, the present-day St. Joseph’s Church was built as an extension of the Royal Chapel. Two years later, a choir and tower were added.
In 1899, the tower was topped by a spire.Note that the remarkable Baroque-style «Truth» pulpit, probably by the Antwerp-born Van Hoof, comes from the Cistercian abbey of Aywiers, as do the communion benches. Also of note are the stalls, the high altar and the equally exceptional stained-glass windows.
