Basilique de Valere

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Basilique de Valere
Basilique de Valère, in the background Sion
The tourbillon on the left, the Valère on the right, around 1900
Organ of the Valeria

The Basilique de Valère or Basilica of Valeria is the church on the southern of the two castle hills on the eastern border of the old town of Sion ( German  Sitten ; capital of the Swiss canton of Valais ). It houses one of the oldest playable organs in the world from the 15th century .

Construction and history

The castle and basilica of Valeria, named in honor of Valeriana, mother of the Roman city ​​prefect Titus Campanius Priscus Maximianus, who is attested in the year 43 AD, are located on one of the two hills that the city of Sion on the eastern side of the old town tower above. Already laid out in Celtic times, the castle and church were first mentioned in a document in 1049. The oldest parts of the three-aisled basilica, divided into four bays, with a transept and two chapels flanking the choir, were built between 1100 and 1130 in the High Romanesque style. The tower over the north transept, the polygonal window floors over the semicircular apse and the barrel vault over the pillars were added later . In the 13th century, the nave and aisles were given a cross-belt vault, modeled on the Lausanne Cathedral. Also during this period was Lettner installed, which the choir from the nave separated. Laid out as a pilgrimage church of “Our Lady of Valeria”, the miraculous image, a Gothic marble statue of the Madonna with the baby Jesus from the beginning of the 15th century, forms the central element of the church. Today it stands high above the high altar. Pictures of apostles, prophets and national saints decorate the choir walls.

meaning

The cathedral of the diocese of Sion has been Notre Dame de Sion (du Glarian) in the center of Sion since the 8th century . The castle of Valeria was built in the 11th and 12th centuries. Built in the 18th century as the residence of the cathedral chapter . The prince-bishop , who was both spiritual and secular ruler, resided in Tourbillon Castle on the neighboring hill. It stayed that way until the French invasion in 1798. After that, Notre Dame de Sion was in fact again a cathedral, and on Valeria the worship of the Blessed Mother lost importance over time due to the greater weight of the actual episcopal church. So later became more of St. Catherine of Alexandria , the second patroness of Valais. In 1987 the Church of Valeria was awarded the honorary title of Basilica minor by Pope John Paul II . The former rooms of the cathedral chapter are now rented to the canton of Valais, which is gradually building the cantonal historical museum there.

organ

On the west wall of the ship there is a swallow's nest organ , the system of which goes back to the 15th and maybe the 14th century and is one of the oldest playable organs in the world alongside the instruments in Rysum , Kiedrich and Ostönnen . It was probably built in 1435 and added four registers in 1687 . In the 19th century it was forgotten. In the 50s of the 20th century, the work was gradually brought back to life by the conservator Maurice Wenger, after the specialty and value of the instrument had gradually been recognized by the professional world. It has been performed every summer since 1969 as part of the international festival for ancient organs (Festival de l'orgue ancien de Valère) .

Web links

Commons : Basilique de Valère  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Information from the diocese ( Memento of December 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) (French)

Coordinates: 46 ° 14 ′ 1 "  N , 7 ° 21 ′ 52"  E ; CH1903:  594282  /  120259