The best traffic-free bike rides around Méteren

This chapel has a name for its patron saint that is literally on everyone's lips, yet few probably know the person behind it: The feast day of Saint Sylvester (San Silvestro) is on December 31st. He lived at the end of the third, beginning of the fourth century and was Bishop of Rome when Emperor Constantine, with the Edict of Milan – known as the “Edict of Tolerance” – recognized Christianity as a religion, and thus (at least temporarily) ended the time of bloody Christian persecution.

Church from 1932, by Louis-Marie and Louis-Stanislas Cordonnier. The church has features of the neo-Romanesque, neo-Byzantine and art-deco styles.

This castle was the seat of the lordship of Flêtre. The Van Vleteren family ruled here, succeeded in 1364 by the Van Houtte family. Between 1364 and 1380, Jan van Houtte had a fortified castle built. It was equipped with a wooden gallery between the castle and the freestanding tower, from which the soldiers could hurl projectiles at the besiegers. Later, as military technology advanced, these were replaced by machicolations. In 1532, the lordship passed through marriage to the Wignacourt family. In 1656, Flêtre, under Jacob van Wignacourt, was elevated to a county. The last Count of Flêtre, Balthasar-Philippe de Wignacourt, died in poverty in 1810. During the French Revolution, the castle was expropriated and largely demolished to reuse the building materials. However, the keep was so massive that demolition was decided against. In the early 19th century, the estate was purchased by an industrialist, who built a house on the site of the demolished castle and converted the keep into a reception hall, with Louis XV-style wall paneling. Later, the estate was purchased by Edmond Vanuxem, a brewer in Ardres. He commissioned the construction of the current brick castle, completed in 1872. After the First World War, the moats were filled in. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasteel_van_Wignacourt

The church has a turbulent history, because it fell victim to the Beeldenstorm in 1566, burned down in 1576, was destroyed by the French in 1644 and was rebuilt in late Gothic style from 1660-1664. The tower is from 1712 and the brick spire was built in 1890-1891. In May 1940 the church was again badly damaged. In 1950 it was restored. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Pieterskerk_(Steenvoorde)

The church originally dates back to the 14th century, as we know that the lord of Vleteren, Jan van Houtte, was buried here in 1398. The church initially had two naves, and a third was added later. In 1727, the two oldest naves were demolished and replaced by two new ones, each as high as the third, creating a hall church. The church had no tower, but the bells hung in a bell tower (a freestanding bell tower in the shape of a closed wooden tower). In 1799, the church was sold publicly. However, the asking price was extremely high. The demolition crew was called in. This led to a popular uprising. Eventually, the parishioners were able to buy back the church for a much lower price. In 1903, a tower was completed and the bell tower was demolished. In 1906, there was another uprising, when the church property was inventoried in the context of the Separation of Church and State Act. The church was damaged during the First World War and also lost some of its treasures, including the 16th-century stained glass windows and a regency altarpiece. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Mattheuskerk_(Vleteren)

The Saint-Omer's Church or Saint-Audomarus Church There was already a church in 1191. The current church has a heavy, pre-built, 14th-century tower. The church was enlarged in 1803 and has an elongated, three-aisled nave. During the First World War, the church was badly damaged, but rebuilt. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Audomaruskerk_(Kaaster)

The current hall church is a 16th century Gothic-style conversion of the original Romanesque church from the second half of the 12th century. The brick part of the nave and the lower part of the tower are remains of the old church. The pseudo-Romanesque gable with rose window and part of the octagonal crossing tower are 19th century. In the church you will find the mausoleums of the first counts of Watou, Karel van Ydeghem (+ 1630) and Maria van Cortewyle and of the mystic Karel Grimminck (1676-1728). The church has been a protected monument since 1939. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Bavokerk_(Watou)

Picnic and rest area with benches, close to the top of the Katsberg with beautiful views over French Flanders.