Church of Our Lady (Laeken)

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Church of Our Lady Laeken

The Liebfrauenkirche zu Laeken (Dutch Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk ; French Église Notre-Dame de Laeken ) is a neo-Gothic church in the Brussels district of Laeken / Laken and the largest neo-Gothic building in Belgium.

history

Main nave of the Liebfrauenkirche

As early as around the year 800, two sisters had a small chapel built in memory of their deceased brother on the site of today's church, which was consecrated to Mary , the Mother of God . Saint Guido von Anderlecht worked in this chapel as a sexton for several years. Sophie von Brabant , the daughter of Elisabeth of Thuringia , gave the chapel a picture of the Virgin Mary, which soon became an attraction for numerous pilgrims.

In 1275 the chapel was replaced by a church in the style of the early Brabant Gothic. According to legend, Maria herself determined the direction and size of the new building.

Louise of Orléans , the first queen of Belgium, stipulated in her will that she would be buried in the Church of Our Lady in Laeken. When she died in 1850, her husband, King Leopold I , decided to have a new church built on this site, the crypt of which would be the burial place of the royal family in the future. The architect Joseph Poelaert , who was also building the Palace of Justice in Brussels, made an award-winning design in the neo-Gothic style. In 1854 Leopold I laid the foundation stone for the new building and on August 7, 1872 the church was ceremonially consecrated , although it was not yet fully completed at that time.

Leopold II finally had the church completed. The Munich architect Heinrich von Schmidt designed the portal and the 99 m high tower for the west facade.

meaning

The Church of Our Lady in Laeken was never elevated to the rank of a special monument, but it has a high symbolic value for its visitors because it is the final resting place of many members of the Belgian royal family and of the cardinal and founder of the international Christian working-class youth , Joseph Cardijn .

Attractions

Joseph Cardijn's grave

The imposing pulpit won first prize at the Paris World Exhibition in 1878 . In the right aisle hangs the painting The Holy Family by Gaspar de Crayer from the 17th century. The romantic organ was built between 1872 and 1874 by the Brussels organ builder Pierre Schyven . The high altar is adorned with a silver cross from the 18th century. In the chancel there are windows from the 19th century depicting passages from the life of Jesus and Mary, and in the choir there are four other paintings by de Crayer: The Christ Carrying the Cross , Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Laeken , Saint Guido als Farm workers and The Flight into Egypt . The choir organ comes from the brothers Adrian and Pierre-Salomon van Bever and was built in 1907.

In the right aisle opposite the side altar, which is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, there is the grave of Joseph Cardijn.

Royal crypt

Behind the choir is the entrance to the Royal Crypt. In the middle of the room is the imposing grave of Leopold I, the first Belgian king, with his second wife. Around this tomb there are niches with the burial sites of all Belgian royal couples. On the wall are the graves of other members of the Belgian royal family.

The following people are buried in the crypt of Laeken Church:

  1. Prince Louis Philippe (July 24, 1833 - May 16, 1834) - (son of King Leopold I )
  2. Louise of Orléans , Queen of Belgium (April 3, 1812 - October 11, 1850) - (Wife of King Leopold I )
  3. Leopold I, King of Belgium (December 16, 1790 - December 10, 1865)
  4. Prince Leopold (June 12, 1859 - January 22, 1869) - (son of King Leopold II )
  5. Princess Joséphine (November 30, 1870 - January 18, 1871) - (daughter of Prince Philip )
  6. Prince Baudouin Leopold (June 3, 1869 - January 23, 1891) - (son of Prince Philipp )
  7. Marie Henriette of Austria , Queen of Belgium (23 August 1836 - 19 September 1902) - (Wife of King Leopold II )
  8. Prince Philip , Count of Flanders (March 24, 1837 - November 17, 1905)
  9. Leopold II, King of Belgium (April 9, 1835 - December 17, 1909)
  10. Princess Maria Luise von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (November 17, 1845 - November 26, 1912) - (wife of Prince Philipp )
  11. Charlotte of Belgium , Empress of Mexico (June 7, 1840 - January 19, 1927) - (Wife of Emperor Maximilian I )
  12. Albert I, King of Belgium (April 8, 1875 - February 17, 1934)
  13. Astrid of Sweden , Queen of Belgium (November 17, 1905 - August 29, 1935) - (first wife of King Leopold III )
  14. Elisabeth in Bavaria , Queen of Belgium (July 25, 1876 - November 23, 1965) - (Wife of King Albert I )
  15. Prince Charles (October 10, 1903 - June 1, 1983) - (Son of King Albert I )
  16. Leopold III, King of Belgium (November 3, 1901 - September 25, 1983)
  17. Prince Leopold Emmanuel of Liechtenstein (1984 - May 20, 1984) - (grandson of Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg )
  18. Baudouin I, King of Belgium (September 7, 1930 - July 31, 1993)
  19. Mary Lilian Baels (November 28, 1916 - June 7, 2002) - (second wife of King Leopold III )
  20. Prince Alexander (July 18, 1942 - November 29, 2009) - (son of King Leopold III )
  21. Fabiola Mora y Aragón , Queen of Belgium (June 11, 1928 - December 5, 2014) - (Wife of King Baudouin I )

In the cemetery behind the church are the graves of many famous Belgians. The choir of the first church, which was built here in 1275, can still be seen there.

organ

It comes from the workshop of Pierre Schyven in Brussels and was created between 1871 and 1874. From 1902 to 1916 Salomon van Bever was responsible for maintaining the organ. In 1906 it was temporarily dismantled due to the completion of the tower. Since they absolutely wanted to leave the large rose window open, the magnificent Schyven Prospect fell victim to this measure. Furthermore, the largest 32 'pipes were placed in the aisles to keep the view of the rose window clear. With a few changes to the layout, the organ was inaugurated again in 1912 with a simplified prospectus. It is in roughly this condition, apart from the replacement of the main fifth with a doublette 2 'during the restoration by Patrick Collon between 1975 and 1978, until today. Due to the unusually high wind pressure of 170 mm WS, 52 stops on three manuals and pedal are sufficient to fill the large space. The Spieltrakturen are mechanically, the Registertrakturen electrically.

I positive (swellable since 1912) C – g 3
Quintaton 16 ′
Flute 8th'
Dulciane 8th'
Unda Maris (van Bever 1912) 8th'
Viol 8th'
Bourdon 8th'
Flute 4 ′
Fifth 3 ′
Mixture III
Trumpet celeste 8th'
Clarinet 8th'
Musette (van Bever 1912) 8th'
II Hauptwerk C – g 3
Montre 16 ′
Bourdon 16 ′
Montre 8th'
Flûte harmonique 8th'
Gemshorn 8th'
Salicional 8th'
Viol 8th'
Bourdon 8th'
Prestant 4 ′
Flûte harmonique 4 ′
Doublette (Collon, 1978) 2 ′
Fittings III-VI 2 ′
Grand Cornet V
Bombard 16 ′
Ophicléide 16 ′
Trumpets 8th'
Clairon 4 ′
III Swell C – g 3
Bourdon 16 ′
Viol 8th'
Flûte octaviante 8th'
Dolce 8th'
Voix céleste 8th'
Bourdon 8th'
Flûte d'écho 4 ′
Flageolet 2 ′
Fittings III
Basson 16 ′
Trompette harmonique 8th'
Basson-Hautbois 8th'
Voix humaine 8th'
Clairon harmonique 4 ′
Pedals C – f 1
Soubasse 32 ′
Flute 16 ′
Bourdon 16 ′
Fifth 12 ′
Flute 8th'
Violoncello 8th'
Flute 4 ′
Bombard 16 ′
Trumpets 8th'
Clairon 4 ′

Note: Collon's doublet replaces the fifth 6`, which van Bever installed in 1912 instead of the trompette céleste 8 'Schyvens.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Schyven / van-Bever. Retrieved April 12, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Detailed information on the organ

Web links

Commons : Liebfrauenkirche (Laeken)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 50 ° 52 ′ 44 "  N , 4 ° 21 ′ 20.4"  E