Kleit

The towns of our Meetjesland in Flanders, Belgium

Kleit

Kleit or, before some of the numerous changes in our spelling, Cleyt, is called after the nature of its substratum: "klei" meaning clay. The parish of 2150 hectare (5310 acres) grew on the border of the Maldegemveld, near the deanery of Papinglo. Maldegemveld was a huge inhospitable swampy region, definitely not the spot a reputable young lady would have chosen for a walk in the moonlight.

Until the beginning of the 16th Century mass was said for the parishioners in the chapel of the deanery.

From 1780 the population increased rapidly when Prince de Lobkowitz, the bishop of Ghent began a new campagn for development. As the number of faithful increased so did the need for a church and in 1860 a church dedicated to St. Vincentius à Paulo was opened. The devotion to St. Antonius and to St. Cornelius, the protector of horned cattle, is visible in the little chapels around the church. Against the front wall of the church we can admire a beautiful statue of St. Apollonia by Serafien Goethals from Adegem.

The inhabitants of Kleit made history as "broom makers". They were welcome on the markets of the whole region with their brooms made from heath or birch twigs. But that of course is long since past.

Kleit still has much of the tower of the old Cuelenaere's Mill in what could be an idyllic setting. The whole property is since 2004 listed as a protected site. But it is heartrending to see the woodwork inside the old mill rotting and the wall crumbling away. I wish a Maecenas could soon be found to help restore it to its former splendour.

Papinglo Farm on Kleit's highest ground, just next to the road to Aalter, was built during the last devolpment period. It has the date of 1756 in its tiled roof. The house stands on the foundations of the chapel of the priory that was first mentioned in documents of 1170. In 1981 the farm was listed as a protected site but it is unoccupied since the tragic death of the last occupants and its buildings are slowly but surely going down hill.

Thanks to the Reverend Brewée, Kleit's parish priest, a Lourdes grotto was built in 1950. It is just west of the church in what remains of the Kluis Woods. It was consecrated in 1952 and almost overnight Kleit became a ver popular place of devotion to the Virgin Mary. This is one of the largest grottos in Flanders. It was constructed entirely with blocks of concrete that the parishioners themselves retrieved from the now abandoned airfields that had been built in the region during WW II. Included in this place of pilgrimage are also a calvary chapel and a chapel dedicated to St. Rita.

More pictures from Kleit

The source of most of the above is the excellent "Streekgids Meetjesland", 1998, pp.45-46. See also: Our Sources.

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