Church of the Immaculate Conception (Eupen)
The Church of the Immaculate Conception in Eupen , Province of Liège / Belgium , is a Roman Catholic church building and a former monastery church of the Capuchins . In some sources and in the population as well as in travel guides it is therefore simply called Eupen Monastery Church or Eupen Capuchin Church. Under its French name: "Sainte Marie", it is the religious center , especially for the French-speaking residents of the city. The current church building was built between 1773 and 1776 according to plans by the Milanese architect Joseph Moretti, who lives in Aachen . The former convent building to the south was transferred to the city after secularization and the departure of the Capuchins in 1797 and has served as the town hall of Eupen since 1863. Since the 1990s the church to Pfarrverband Eupen-Kettenis heard in the diocese of Liege and is since 1983 along with former convent building under monument protection .
history
In order to combat the heresy , which spread more and more in the 17th century, and the spread of Protestantism in Eupen and the surrounding area, Walloon Capuchin monks were sent to Eupen from 1661 to campaign for the protection of the Catholic faith. For this purpose, in May 1664, Count de Hoen de Cortils, Lord of Stockem Castle , gave the Capuchins a piece of land on which, with the permission of Maximilian Heinrich of Bavaria , the Bishop of Liège and vehement representative of the Counter-Reformation , they would build a monastery with a convent building and a monastery church were allowed to. In 1668 the construction of the first single-nave monastery church was completed, but its consecration to the religious secret of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mother did not take place until July 14, 1680 by the Liège Auxiliary Bishop Johann Anton Blavier. Just 30 years later, it was significantly enlarged.
The monks had their property, including a large garden and meadow area, enclosed with a wall and placed a miraculous image of the Blessed Mother under a wooden roof at the south-west corner , which attracted numerous pilgrims. As a result, a small chapel was built for the statue at the same location as early as 1670, which was baptized “Maria zu den Engeln” and popularly referred to as “het lieff Vreuken” or, according to the name of the hall, “Chapel on the Driesch”. When this too became too small due to the increasing number of pilgrims, the Capuchins replaced it in 1733 with a new and larger octagonal chapel with a lantern on the roof and a large arched window. In the wood-paneled interior, the image of Mary found its new place on an altar, which was separated from the rest of the room by an iron grille. The chapel was administered by civil employees who, in accordance with the applicable ordinance, distributed one third of the numerous offerings to the monastery church, one third to the parish church of St. Nicholas and one third to the orphanage. Later, the place of pilgrimage was also awarded a miracle cure , after a young man with walking disabilities was able to walk without crutches again after regularly visiting the chapel around 1780.
On the night of April 25, 1771, a fire, which according to tradition had possibly been started by arson, destroyed a large part of the monastery church and the convent building, but the chapel on the edge of the property was spared. As a result, the governor of the Austrian Netherlands , Karl Alexander von Lorraine , prohibited the Capuchins from remaining in Eupen, but they were allowed to return at the urging of the Eupen citizens in 1772, although their number was limited to twelve convent members. The monks immediately began to rebuild the monastery and had a new monastery church built between 1773 and 1776 by the architect Joseph Moretti in collaboration with the Eupen master mason Clemens Jerusalem. With the help of numerous donations from the citizens, the equipment was also renewed and completed in the following years.
After Eupen was occupied by French troops in 1795, who billeted their gendarmerie , their horses, the commanders and a captain and their family on the monastery grounds , the Capuchins were forced to close their facility a year later due to the law on the secularization of the monasteries and leave the facility. The monastery church was leased to the Catholics for their services in 1797 and the convent building in 1798 on the initiative of the citizen and later church administrator Johann Egidius Beissel to the civilian municipal administration. On the other hand, the Marienkapelle was closed and the inventory was sold, which however could be bought back a few years later. As a result of the Concordat of 1801 , the former monastery church was recognized as a "chapelle auxiliaire" (auxiliary church) by the Liège bishop Jean-Évangéliste Zaepffel, who was newly appointed after the Sedis vacancy , and assigned as a subsidiary church of the Eupen main parish St. Nicholas. Since then it has been co-administered by the parish council of the Nikolauskirche. At the same time, the French administration arranged for the former convent building to be converted into a "secondary school". Since 1920 the church has been used by the French-speaking Catholics of Eupens, the Communauté Sainte-Marie .
Since, according to the rules of the order of the Capuchins, no organ was provided and therefore an organ gallery was dispensed with when the church was rebuilt, it was only possible in 1813 through a substantial donation to build an organ gallery later and to purchase an organ in 1822. The future organist Robert Mommer founded the “Marienchor der Klosterkirche” on August 29, 1905, later known as “ Kgl. MGV Marienchor Eupen 1905 "
With the help of the mother church and numerous donations, further extensive restorations and renovations were carried out in the years 1868 to 1888 as well as 1960/1961 and 1987/1988. Together with the Nikolauskirche, the monastery church joined the new parish association Eupen-Kettenis in the 1990s. In addition, the former convent and school building for the city administration has been rebuilt and changed several times by the city of Eupen, so that today it only corresponds to the buildings of the 17th and 18th centuries in terms of its layout.
The chapel on the Driesch was torn down as early as 1827 in the course of the alignment of the newly planned thoroughfare from Aachen to Verviers . The miraculous image was then moved to the former monastery church on September 28, 1827, together with the altar, the iron grating and the wood paneling. On November 25, 1990, there was a robbery in the church and the statue of Mary was stolen. A year later, a new figure was donated to the church, which had been made as a copy of the original in South Tyrol.
Furthermore, a new parish seal was designed for the congregation, which shows the image of grace as an oval stamp image with a trilingual explanation running all around and the year 1776 as the year of inauguration of the new church building.
Building description
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The three-aisled five yoke continuous turretless hall church with a flattened rectangular apse was built on the remains of the old stone wall of the burned earlier building in brick construction pulled up, as will be clearly seen especially on the side walls. The doors and windows of the church building are optically emphasized by bluestone frames. While the left side is supported by the old convent building set back by one yoke and running two yokes deep, the right side is stabilized with a triple stepped buttress between each yoke. This results in three arched windows on the left and five on the right between the buttresses as well as two smaller windows on the side walls of the apse. In 1987, an old walled-up entrance on the east side as well as the apartments from the years 1859–1861 built on the north side were exposed for the rector.
The simple street facade, made entirely of bricks, is characterized by a central projecting over two storeys in the proportions of the central nave, which, like the building corners, is framed with blue stone corner blocks in a tooth-cut sequence. In it is the round-arched entrance portal , the skylight of which is provided with wrought-iron ornamentation from the 18th century, consisting of a small cross and a medallion with the monogram of Mary. Above the lintel , a large niche with attached round arched segment gable is embedded in the masonry, in which there is a sandstone statue of the Mother of God. The chronogram engraved in the niche frame: "O SVAVIS INTACTA O DVLCIS VIRGO MARIA" indicates the year 1775 of the reconstruction, which is indicated by the chronograms in the segment gable: "CVCCENSA DIE VIGESIMA QVINTA APRILIS" for the year 1771 of the destruction and "CHRISTI FIDELUIM RESTAVRATVRATVRATVRATVR" Reconstruction is supplemented.
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Above this, at the level of the organ gallery, there is a large arched window between two cornices that mark the slightly recessed upper floor. The gable surface above was only equipped with a small hatch in the form of a four-leaf clover. On both sides of the central projection, the wall surfaces are each equipped with a smaller side entrance door and a large arched window above.
To the left of the main entrance, a figure of Christ on the cross is attached to the facade under a small weather roof, which ends in a stone base on the floor. According to the sources, this is the cross created around 1700, which was initially set up in the monastery garden and found its current place as part of the new road construction on the entrance side of the church. The entire entrance area is raised compared to street level and is reached via side stairs that lead to a podium-like terrace.
A gable roof with slate roofing and a slight slide covers the building at the top, on which a small octagonal roof turret for the belfry with a sound cover window and a cross on the octagonal roof helmet is erected.
Furnishing
The interior of the three-aisled church building, which is elevated in the central nave, is covered with a barrel vault , which is stabilized by four wide belt arches . These flow into the four square pillars with simple bases and profile capitals as well as pilasters to the right and left of the central aisle, which also serve as supports for the arched arcades that separate the naves. In the central nave, at the transition from the capitals to the curvature of the ceiling, a color-contrasting cornice runs all around and the lower area of the outer walls of the church is clad with wood paneling decorated with carved decorations.
The width of the apse corresponds to the central nave and its flatter vault is divided into two bays with transom consoles . The passage to the religious choir , which has now been walled up, was originally located on the rear wall of the apse, and the entrances to the former oratorios , which today serve as the sacristy, are located on its long sides .
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The church floor is laid out with different coverings, including square bluestone tiles, stone friezes with climbing ornaments and smaller white and brown stone slabs in a checkerboard pattern. In front of the Francis altar of the monastery church, a slab embedded in the flooring leads to the former crypt with 10 graves and the ossuary of the Capuchins. The crypt is not open to the public.
Altars
High altar
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The high canopy altar, made in typical Maasland art , is a donation from the Eupen manufacturer Leonard Roemer from 1783. The massive wooden canopy with its crown-like attachment rests on four tapering columns, each on head-high square plinths, and on two leaning and on the back wall pilasters connected to the cafeteria . The chronogram: “LEONARDO ROEMER AVCTORE RESVREXIE CINERE PHOENIX” is engraved on the horizontal support beam between the pilasters in memory of the founder. Above it is an oval opening in which a carved half-figure of God with putti is installed between the depicted clouds . The gap between the two rear pillars and the pilasters is adorned by another smaller pillar on each side carried by kneeling adorants . A cartridge is attached to the front edge of the canopy , which proclaims the dogma of the Immaculate Conception with the chronogram: "MARIAE SINE LEBE CONCEPTAE LAETE CVNCTA PSALLIT ECCLESIA" and is orphaned to the restoration in 1859.
The rear part of the high altar is filled by the broad, slightly oval canteen, which is tiered into two floors and richly decorated with carvings, on the front of which is another cartouche with eucharistic motifs. On the floor above there is a rectangular shaft for the connection to the chapter house for the purpose of offering Holy Communion, which, however, has been locked with a copper plate. A rotating tabernacle is placed on this altar level, on the closure plate of which a relief of the sacrifice of Isaac is depicted.
On the back wall of the altar between the pilasters and behind the rotating tabernacle, a larger than life white statue of the Immaculate Conception hangs as the central focus of the high altar in a round arch niche, which is optically emphasized by a halo of gold that shines over the entire surface.
The originally colored and marbled high altar was painted a uniform brown during the restoration in 1961. The stain used in the process caused lasting damage, which, however, was largely repaired in 1987 with an insulating varnish and a varnish. Nevertheless, there are still considerable cracks in the entire wood area.
Side altars
Francis altar
Anthony Altar
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At the end of the right aisle there is the Antonius Altar in a arched wall niche. The altar, carved entirely from oak and partly gilded, is a donation from the Eupener cloth shearers from 1777. This is evidenced by the inscription on the entablature: “This altar was given by the cloth shearers” and above it a panel with their coat of arms and the year 1777. In the center of the altar and above a decorated tabernacle stands the figure of Anthony of Padua , flanked by the figures of Rochus of Montpellier and Catherine of Siena .
In the opposite side aisle, the Franziskus Altar, which was donated by the Eupen weavers in 1778, is built in a similar way. The chronogram: "TEXTORVM DONA SVPERIS FRANCISCOQVE GLORIA" is engraved in a cartridge on the crowned upper part. In the center is the figure of Francis of Assisi in a niche above a tabernacle, which is also decorated . To one side and separated by a narrow column are the statues of St. Severus of Ravenna and St. Blasius of Sebaste erected.
In front of the altar, a plate embedded in the floor points to the entrance to the former Capuchin crypt.
Both side altars were restored and the figures renewed in 1881.
Altar of the Lady Chapel
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The altar of the former Lady Chapel, which had to give way to the new street layout in 1827, was rebuilt largely true to the original on an oval pedestal at the beginning of the right aisle. The front area of the oval is framed by the wrought iron grille with double wing doors, the rear by the high wooden altar base with a small free-standing tabernacle. In front of this base is the heavy bluestone altar table, which is still attributed to the first chapel building from 1670. In 1961 he was subsequently given a carved wooden antependium from the 18th century, which depicts St. Robert represents.
The curved back wall is built on the altar base, with four columns and two pilasters supporting the crowning gable in which the dove of the Holy Spirit hovers in front of a gilded halo. In the middle of the rear wall, on a mighty carved base, a glazed niche is built in, in which the copy of the original image of the Virgin made in South Tyrol is placed. In the small gable structure above the figure niche, God the Father is enthroned on the right with a scepter in his hand and on the left the Son of God with the cross. Together they hold a golden crown that hovers in the middle above the image of Mary.
Sanctuary
Most of the furnishings in the sanctuary are donated by the French-speaking Catholics of Eupens. This includes the sacrificial table, the base of which was made in South Tyrol with the carved wood representation of the Last Supper according to Leonardo da Vinci, as well as the altar cross and the lectern with carved apostle symbols . In contrast, the altar plate, the ambo and the candlesticks were made in an Eynatten carpenter's workshop. The two slightly curved and sparsely decorated communion benches on both sides of the wide passage to the chancel date from the 18th century, as do the candlesticks that belonged to the brotherhood founded by the Capuchins in 1794.
Since 1962, several oil paintings by an unknown master have been placed on the side walls of the apse, which were also purchased by the Capuchin monks, including pictures depicting St. Joseph of Nazareth , the Adoration of the Shepherds , the Madonna with St. Catherine of Siena and St. Michael show.
pulpit
The pulpit is a work from the 18th century and made of oak wood and partly gilded in the Louis-Seize style. The round pulpit chair rests on a slender foot with three putti heads and is equipped with lavishly decorated volute consoles and ornamented panels. The fields of the stair stringers are decorated with openwork rocaille ornamentation. The connection from the pulpit chair to the sound cover is bridged by an oil painting of the immaculate conception attached to the supporting pillar.
The sound cover itself was reworked in the 19th century and shows the dove of the Holy Spirit on its underside in a halo. Its outer edge is designed with a lambrequin pattern and its crown-like structure consists of five volute struts that carry the carved figure of an Annunciation angel from the 19th century on a small base.
organ
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The monastery church has two organs, the main organ being made in 1822 by Daniel Schauten from Jüchen using an older case from the 18th century and a used wind chest . This one-manual organ was equipped with an additional manual in 1837 in the Müller Brothers organ workshop in Reifferscheid and expanded from 10 to 21 registers . In 1880 it was serviced again by the Müller brothers and equipped with a free pedal. Another restoration took place in 1959 at the organ builder Ernst Kühn from Eupen, but years later it was again considered unplayable.
As a result, the Schumacher organ workshop from Baelen acquired a smaller, single-manual replacement organ in 1994 , which was originally intended to be placed in the nave, but ultimately found its place in front of the main organ.
Other equipment
Other historically significant pieces of equipment are the six confessionals, which were manufactured in Eupen in 1772 and which were decorated with plenty of decorations, especially in the gable tops. The inscription: “Confessionale wallon” is engraved on one of these confessionals.
One of the artistically valuable statues in the church is a figure of St. Barbara of Nicomedia , carved around 1870 from a former 14th or 15th century statue of the Madonna. Also worth mentioning are the figures of the Archangels Gabriel and Raphael on the first pair of pillars.
The all-round Way of the Cross consists of paintings from the 19th century, which are decorated with a carved oak frame.
Two important paintings are attached to the walled up side windows facing the old convent building, on the one hand by G. Linchet the healing of St. Bonaventure by Francis of Assisi from the 18th century and, on the other hand, by the Antwerp painter Anton Goubau (1616–1698), the Madonna with St. Felix of Cantalice from the 17th century. In the latter two coats of arms are applied to the lower edge of the picture, which are supposed to remind of two people who did a lot for the foundation and construction of the monastery. These are Don Luis de Benavide, Marquis of Caracena and representative of the Spanish governor for the Walloon region, as well as Abbot Winand Lamberts from the Rolduc Abbey , who had vehemently defended himself against the spread of Protestantism in Eupen and was to take over the inauguration of the monastery church , but died a few months earlier.
Other pictures and figures as well as valuable candlesticks and an extensive collection of sacred objects complete the furnishings of the monastery church.
literature
- G. Rutsch: The Capuchin Church . In: Eupen und Umgebung (1879) , Verlag Carl Julius Mayer, Eupen 1879 pp. 99-103 ( digitized version )
- Leo Kever: The miraculous image of the Eupener monastery church , in: Alt-Eupener Bilderbogen , Eupen 1977 ( PDF )
- Jean-Jacques Bolly, Norbert Kreusch: Photographic Directory of Sacred Art in Belgium , Royal Institute for Art Heritage, Eupen 1981, pp. 18–22 ( PDF )
- Johann Cloot: Eupen and the Capuchins - a contribution to the local history of Eupen , Eupener Geschichts- und Museumsverein (Ed.), Eupen 2010
- Johann Cloot: The Capuchin Crypt in the monastery church of Eupen , in: Geschichtliches Eupen , Volume III, Eupen 1969, pp. 80–91
- Johann Cloot: Sacred art in the monastery church in Eupen , in: Geschichtliches Eupen, Volume IV , Eupen 1970, pp. 81-104
- Johann Cloot: Restoration of the monastery church in Eupen , in: Geschichtliches Eupen , Volume XIII, Eupen 1989, pp. 143–171
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Property description Eupener Rathaus on ostbelgienkulturerbe.be
- ^ Monastery church - care and promotion of church singing , on the pages of the Marienchor Eupen
- ↑ Parish seal
- ↑ Benavides & Lamberts coat of arms , on ostbelgien.net
Coordinates: 50 ° 37 ′ 56.6 " N , 6 ° 1 ′ 48" E