Temple de l'Observatoire

Geschiedenis

The Temple de l'Observatoire was a Protestant Christian church in Brussels, started in 1834 when a group left Brussels Protestant Church and called French Methodist missionary, Philippe Boucher, to serve as their pastor. preferring "evangelical, saving, pious" preaching to the "rationalistic" and "cool and academic" ministry of pastor Chrétien-Henri Vent.The church initially met in hired premises on rue Verte, before in 1837, with the help of funding from the USA, constructing their own place of worship on boulevard de l'Observatoire : the Temple de l'Observatoire. 'Mr. Boucher's Chapel' was at the time only the second dedicated place of Protestant worship in Brussels, the first building in neo-gothic style built in Belgium and at one time was the oldest surviving building on the boulevard Bischoffsheim.The second pastor was the Swiss preacher, Léonard Anet, who served 1843–1860.Over the years famous members/adherents at the Temple included Charles Lagrange, professor at the military academy and author of works on the subject of the Bible and science, Jacques de Lalaing, a sculptor and painter, and, for some time, General Gallet, aide-de-camp to King Albert I.In 1836 the Belgian Evangelical Society was formed and in 1849 this was reorganised into a denomination, the Belgian Christian Missionary Church, along presbyterian lines and adhering to the 1561 Belgic Confession. The Observatoire joined the denomination in 1853.