A twisted pillar made of hewn bricks is a distinctive feature of the Église Saint-Martin in Steene. The town is also divided into the Leegveld lowland and the Hooghveld plateau. When searching for a holiday rental and planning your stay, Steene offers several points of interest: church and château history, a discovery route and a local pilgrimage tradition.

Church and Château History

The Église Saint-Martin was listed as a historic monument by decree on 18 March 1947. Its most striking feature is its twisted pillar made of hewn bricks. Inside, the church houses an ensemble of altarpieces, choir stalls, a communion rail, a pulpit, confessionals and an organ; this ensemble is also listed as a historic monument. Both an architectural detail and the furnishings shape the history of the church building.

The Château de Steenbourg offers a different perspective: a decree of 24 June 1983 classified its façades and roofs, as well as the moats and their bridge, as historic monuments. At the Château Duriez, the focus is on its construction history. It was built in 1791 at the instigation of Coppens. He was a shipowner from Dunkerque; Louis XVIII made him Baron of Noordland. Features of the château include a 15-hectare park, rooms in the Louis XVI style and an English landscape garden with old trees. The two châteaux thus offer different points of interest: Steenbourg is notable for the scope of protection covering specific parts of the building and its water features, while Duriez is notable for its construction history, rooms and park.

Landscape and Discovery Route

Steene is geographically divided into two clearly distinct areas: Leegveld, the lowland, and Hooghveld, the plateau. The discovery route starts at the church car park, follows the Chemin du Calvaire and then the Chemin des Champs. Check the route conditions before setting out. It also crosses a watercourse called a Watergang and explains the history of the landscape: in the 12th century, people drained the region, which was then marshy, by clearing the land and digging drainage ditches. The route thus links named paths and landscape areas with the history of water management. The division into lowland and plateau, on the one hand, and the medieval drainage, on the other, offer two different perspectives on Steene’s landscape.

Calvaire and Pilgrimage Tradition

A visitor description dated 31 May 2026 says that the Calvaire à loques de Steene, on Route de Pitgam (D 352), is freely accessible. A small, unsigned path between two fields leads there from the signpost. Check the path conditions on site. The same description reports that numerous pilgrims attach cloths or other objects to the branches surrounding the Calvaire throughout the year, especially during Holy Week. This practice may change over time. At the foot of the Calvaire is a spring whose water, according to tradition, is said to cure fever.

Steene’s cultural highlights can thus be clearly distinguished: church art and monument protection, the construction and park history of the châteaux, the development of the landscape along the discovery route, and the religious tradition associated with the Calvaire. Deciding which of these aspects you want to shape your stay can be a helpful guide when planning your trip and looking for a holiday rental in Steene.

Discover more destinations: Ronchin, Beauvois-En-Cambrésis, Trelon, Coutiches, Denain, Watten, Vicq, Déchy

For the broader travel overview: Nord.