St. Martin's Basilica (Hall)
The Basilica of St. Martin ( Dutch Sint-Martinusbasiliek ) is a Roman Catholic parish and pilgrimage church in Halle , Belgium . The church of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels is dedicated to Martin von Tours . It was declared a monument in 1933. Due to the importance of the pilgrimage to the statue of Our Lady of Halle , Pope Pius XII. the church in 1946 the rank of a minor basilica . Since then it has also been known as the Basilica of Our Lady of Halle .
history
At first the parish belonged to the chapter of the Sainte-Waudru -Stift in Mons . In the 12th century Halle became a deanery of the Diocese of Cambria . Documents from the 12th century speak of a parish church dedicated to St. Martin and St. Gertrud.
Already at that time the Marian veneration took place in the region. Extraordinary events would have arisen through her advocacy. In 1267 the statue was erected in Halle, its origin is unclear, it is said to have been a gift from St. Elisabeth of Thuringia . The wood carving is 95 cm high and 25 cm wide. In 1286 there was a richly furnished chapel of the Virgin Mary in the church of that time.
The Marian Shrine is so well known that a group of 18 bishops gathered in Avignon in 1335 granted 40 days of indulgence to the chapel's visitors and benefactors. A directory of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Halle, which is also kept in the basilica's crypt, contains the story of 59 miracles obtained by the grace of the Virgin Mary.
The current church was built between 1341 and 1467, the Lady Chapel in 1335, and consecrated in 1409 by the Archbishop of Cambrai, Pierre d'Ailly . In 1438 the collegiate monastery was affiliated with a canonical chapter.
architecture
The three-aisled basilica was built in the Gothic style. The square and massive tower rises on five floors and reaches 71 meters. It forms the main portal and is flanked by five towers. It is based on the tower of the previous church, from which the statue of Mary above the main portal presumably also comes. The carillon with 54 bells is located on the upper floor . Two portals on the south side give access to the right aisle of the basilica. A portal at the level of the poorly formed transept is covered by a tympanum from the 14th century, which depicts the secret of Mary's coronation in heaven . The large south portal is called the Portal of the Kings . It houses a number of statues from the late fourteenth century. There is also a fourteenth-century Madonna stone.
The Trazegnies chapel stands on the north side of the basilica at the height of the fourth yoke. It was added in 1467 and houses an impressive altarpiece in the style of the Italian Renaissance from 1533, which depicts the sacraments of Christian life in seven medallions.
The choir is elongated and has two levels, the first with two bays, the upper with one. The statues of the twelve apostles are attached to the pillars of the choir. A series of glass windows illuminate the ambulatory: They show Marian mysteries and Bible scenes. One of the windows depicts the life of St. Martin.
crypt
The treasure of the basilica is in the crypt and contains beautiful goldsmith work that was donated by personalities and important visitors, such as a golden reliquary of Louis XI. and a Brussels monstrance of Henry VIII.
Steel hat organ
The organ of the Martinsbasilika was built in 1887 by the organ builder Georg Stahlhuth . The instrument has 39 registers on three manual works and a pedal.
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Individual evidence
- ↑ Sint-Martinusbasiliek on gcatholic.org
- ↑ Information on the organ and disposition
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 44 ′ 12 ″ N , 4 ° 14 ′ 14 ″ E