Edegem

Geschiedenis

Edegem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Edegem proper. On January 1, 2006 Edegem had a total population of 21,668. The total area is 8.65 km² which gives a population density of 2,504 inhabitants per km². The old Sint-Antoniuskerk (church of Saint Anthony) is no longer open to the public. It is not sure when it was first built (some sources go back as far as the 16th century).The absence of heavy industry makes Edegem a typical commuter town. Despite its location next to the metropolis of the city of Antwerp, Edegem is not fully urbanized.Notable buildings and landmarks Sint-Antoniuskerk The Sint-Antoniuskerk is a gothic church that was built between the 16th and 17th century. The Basilica of Our Lady of LourdesIn 1884 a cave was built, after the cave present at the site of Our Lady of Lourdes, as a pilgrimage site. It became a very popular place of worship when truckloads of Christians came to visit the site.When the population of Edegem grew in the beginning of the 20th century the Sint-Antoniuskerk in the center of town became too small. Thus plans were made to build an expansion. But when World War I broke out in 1914, the expansion was delayed. Afterwards the city council and the local religious institutions decided to build a new place of worship near the site of the Cave of Our Lady of Lourdes due to the large number of pilgrims visiting the site. The church was designed by architect Louis De Vooght to be a neo-Byzantine basilique. Construction began in September 1931 and ended in the first half of 1933.