St. Martin's Basilica (Liège)
The Basilica of St. Martin ( French Basilique Saint-Martin ) is a Roman Catholic church in Liege in Belgium . The collegiate church belonging to the diocese of Liège became a parish church in 1795 and is consecrated to St. Martin of Tours . Because of its importance as a pilgrimage church to the Blessed Sacrament, it received a letter from Pope Leo XIII. May 9, 1886 the rank of a minor basilica , since 1936 it has been protected as a monument .
Early Romanesque church
On June 2, 965, Ebrachar , Bishop of Liège , laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Romanesque church on the Publémont hill , which would be the new cathedral of Liège. The Virgin Mary and St. Lambert of Liège were intended as patrons . But his successor Notger decided to consecrate the church of St. Martin and made it the seat of a collegiate monastery .
In this church the feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated for the first time in 1246 by Bishop Robert I. Thorote . After Juliana von Lüttich had visions of the Eucharist , she came to the conclusion that the Church lacked a feast for the special veneration of the sacrament of the altar. At Julian's suggestion, Pope Urban IV , former archdeacon of Liège, instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi for the entire Church in 1264. Over the centuries, the Eucharistic cult in the collegiate monastery gained in importance, which was particularly evident in the establishment of the Brotherhood of the Blessed Sacrament and the building of a sacramental chapel.
In the year 1312, on the night of August 3rd to 4th, the people, supported by the cathedral chapter, set fire to the collegiate church of St. Martin, in which several dozen nobles had sought refuge and were supposed to perish in the fire. The event is known as the St. Martin's Disaster.
Today's church
architecture
The Gothic building was built under the reign of Prince-Bishop Erhard von der Mark between 1506 and 1542. The St. Martin's Basilica is a late Gothic, three-aisled cross basilica . In keeping with its original function as a collegiate church, the choir takes up a third of the total length. It has a star vault by Arnold van Mulken , the builder of the Prince-Bishop's Palace in Liège. In the 19th century this vault was repainted. The square church tower still contains parts of older construction phases. The church was built in brick, which was faced with natural stone. The church has a crypt on which the sacristy with two rooms is located.
Furnishing
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The church furnishings reflect the long history. The wall paintings are by Adolphe Tassin from 1902 to 1907. The five stained glass windows in the choir date from the 16th century and belong to the Renaissance . The other stained glass windows are mostly neo-Gothic by the originally German glass artist Joseph Osterrath . There is a Gothic organ stage at the back of the church .
In the crypt there is a black marble funeral monument of the provost Conrad de Gavre, who died in 1602. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament is adorned with medallions by Jean Del Cour , whose tomb is also in the church. The baroque main altar dates from the 18th century. The remaining sculptures in the church date from the 15th to 19th centuries. Noteworthy are a Madonna and Child and a statue of Saint Martin of Tours by the Liège sculptor Jacques Vivroux. The furnishings also include eight paintings by the Liège painter Englebert Fisen. In the basilicas there are tombstones from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Basilique Saint-Martin on gcatholic.org
- ↑ L'église Saint-Martin spw.wallonie.be
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 38 ′ 39.7 " N , 5 ° 33 ′ 51.3" E