page_title: St. Peter's Church, Leuven
section_title: Towers
hierarchical_section_title: St. Peter's Church, Leuven / History / Towers
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Sint-Pieterskerk Leuven English: Saint Peter's Church Leuven Français&#160;: Église Saint-Pierre Leuven Deutsch: Sankt-Peterskirche
context_page_description: Saint Peter's Church in Leuven, Belgium, is on the city's Grote Markt, opposite the ornate Town Hall. Built mainly in the 15th century in Brabantine Gothic style, the church has a cruciform floor plan and a low bell tower that has never been completed. It is 93 metres long.
context_section_description: In 1458, a fire struck the old Romanesque towers that still flanked the West End of the uncompleted building. The first arrangements for a new tower complex followed quickly, but were never realized. Then, in 1505, Joost Matsys (brother of painter Quentin Matsys) forged an ambitious plan to erect three colossal towers of freestone surmounted by openwork spires, which would have had a grand effect, as the central spire would rise up to about 170 m, making it the world's tallest structure at the time. Insufficient ground stability and funds proved this plan impracticable, as the central tower reached less than a third of its intended height before the project was abandoned in 1541. After the height was further reduced by partial collapses from 1570 to 1604, the main tower now rises barely above the church roof; at its sides are mere stubs. The architect had, however, made a maquette of the original design, which is preserved in the southern transept.
  Despite their incomplete status, the towers are mentioned on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France.
caption: Saint Peter's Church, as seen from Rector De Somerplein
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