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Numbered post-its to ensure that stone tiles get put back correctly

17:43 07/07/2020

A church in Maasmechelen has numbered the tiles that make up its floor – all 1,600 of them – with post-it notes. While we don’t know exactly who was asked to carry out such a tedious task, we do know why.

Built in the 18th century in neo-Roman style, the Sint-Pieters Church is a protected monument. Like any good Catholic church, it is freezing cold, but unlike most of them, the staff is doing something about it.

As part of a thorough renovation, a heating system is being placed beneath the tiled floor. So the floor must be removed. “Because the church is a protected monument, it must be returned to its original state following improvements,” explained Willy Willen, chair of the church council, to VRT.

This means that they cannot afford to get those tiles mixed up; they must be returned to the exact spot from whence they came. So the building firm in charge of renovations to the church numbered them all, left to right, from one end of the church to the other. Broken tiles were given the same number so they can be puzzled back together.

The church is known for its excellent acoustics and therefore often hosts choirs and concerts. But it was becoming difficult to get an audience if there was a chill in the air. It was so cold in the church, in fact, that instruments would fall out of tune.

The church tried hot air blowers, but the noise was worse than the cold. So it was finally decided to install an underfloor heating system. The entire restoration project should be complete in mid-September.

Photo ©Mark Dreesen/Het Nieuwsblad

Written by Lisa Bradshaw