St. Hermes Basilica

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Exterior of the church
Choir of the basilica
St. Hermes crypt

The Basilica of St. Hermes ( Dutch Sint-Hermesbasiliek ) is a Roman Catholic church in Ronse in Belgium . The pilgrimage church of the Ghent diocese is dedicated to St. Hermes and has the title of minor basilica . It is a listed monument and is known for its crypt . The destination of the pilgrimage is the reliquary from 1584 with embroidery from 1637. St. Hermes is revered for healing the mentally ill.

history

The first Christian traces from the Merovingian era can be found around the former collegiate church ; church foundations from the 9th century were discovered under the crypt from the Carolingian era. After the arrival of the relics of the Roman martyr St. Hermes on July 6, 860, the pilgrimage to Ronse developed. Further relics of Cornelius , Cyprian and Celestinus were acquired. After the destruction of the monastery by the Normans in 880-81, a new monastery was probably built around the middle of the 10th century. Pre-Romanesque foundations are dated to around 940. The Romanesque collegiate church with a crypt was completed for the pilgrimages in 1089. A cross basilica with a crossing tower was consecrated in 1129. The tower collapsed with great damage in 1267. After the war damage and the city fire in 1424, the massive west tower was built by 1456 while retaining the two Romanesque towers. Conversions and extensions of the nave followed until 1526, when a new consecration took place.

In the second half of the 16th century damage was caused by the town fire of 1559, iconoclasms in 1566 and the Calvinist looting between 1578 and 1582. Repairs followed in the first half of the 17th century with new vaults and new baroque altars. During the wars of Louis XIV, the church suffered a lot, the crypt was used as a cattle shed. Under French rule, the convent was dissolved in 1797 and the plundered collegiate church became a parish church in 1803.

At the beginning of the 19th century, various adjustments and repairs were made and the pulpit and organ were acquired. In the second half of the 19th century, the tower was completed in 1868 and the nave and choir were drastically restored to their current Brabant character. The neo-Gothic high altar with polychromed wooden altar dates from 1890. Further restorations, some with excavations, followed until 1993 on the west portal.

The church was listed as a historical monument in 1936. Pope Francis elevated the church to a minor basilica in 2018, and the solemn proclamation took place on February 2, 2019 during a pontifical ministry.

Web links

Commons : Basilica of St. Hermes  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sint-Hermesbasiliek on gcatholic.org
  2. ↑ crypt
  3. ^ Parochiekerk Sint-Hermes (Dutch)
  4. ↑ St. Hermes Church in Ronse becomes a basilica. Rheinische Post, December 17, 2018, accessed on March 14, 2019 .

Coordinates: 50 ° 44 ′ 56.4 "  N , 3 ° 35 ′ 59.1"  E