The Munsterkerk ( German Münsterkirche ) in Roermond , the Netherlands, is the only church in the late Romanesque style in the Netherlands. Its official name is Onze Lieve Vrouwe Munsterkerk .
The church was built as part of a Cistercian abbey founded by Count Gerhard IV (Geldern) around 1218 . Since it was supposed to serve as a burial place for the Geldrische count's house, it was designed particularly lavishly; However, only the founder and his wife were buried here. The oldest part of the church is the choir, which, with its three-conch choir, is closely related to St. Aposteln , St. Maria in the Capitol and Great St. Martin in Cologne , the Quirinusmünster in Neuss and the Speyer Cathedral . However, this is a double three-cone complex, because in addition to the clover-leaf shape of the three apses, the middle one has three more cones. The Byzantine-looking octagon and the candlestick inside are reminiscent of the Palatine Chapel as part of the Aachen Cathedral . The height of the dome is 78 and the crossing diameter is 31 Roman feet . The nave was probably built between 1220 and 1244 and is the part of the church that was most simply executed on the outside. The west building was built between 1244 and 1260.
In the 18th century the church received a baroque bell tower. Extensive restoration work began in 1850 and continued until 1890. Among other things, the baroque tower was demolished and a new westwork was built under the direction of the architect Pierre Cuypers . The church was restored again from 1959 to 1964 and after the Roermond earthquake in 1992.
Furnishing
Christ Triumphant from the 12th century
Maria with child (around 1500)
Entombment (Master of Elsloo)
Antwerp carved altar
Under the central octagon is the tomb of the Geldrian Duke Gerhard IV and his wife Margaretha von Brabant. The idealized sculptures were created between 1230 and 1240 and are considered the oldest reclining statues in the Netherlands. In the 19th century the color scheme of the grave sculptures was restored. The statue of Christ Triumphator made of sandstone, made in the 12th century, can be found high in the octagon. This makes it the oldest free-standing sculpture in the Netherlands and older than the church itself. The sculpture is related to the tomb: From their resting place the Count and Countess look up to the risen Christ. The statue of Bernhard von Clairvaux , second church patron, comes from the master of Elsloo (approx. 1525). From this time and by the same artist is also the Entombment of Christ made of wood. You can see next to Christ: Mary, John, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Three women with headgear, carrying cups of ointment, suggest from their clothing that they could be abbesses. A wooden cross from the 16th century hangs over this entombment. The church's other art treasures include the late Gothic sculpture: “Onze Lieve Vrouw Vogelsangh” made of oak (Maria with child approx. 1500), which was restored and made more polychrome by Hendrik de Leeuw in 1861, as well as an Antwerp carved altar depicting episodes of the life of Christ (around 1520). There are only three of these altarpieces left in the Netherlands. Between the entrance portals, from the inside, a crucifix from around 1380 with two parts of a human upper arm (reliquary cross). The Marianum is located high, hanging in the central nave: The crescent moon Madonna with child from the 16th century looks at the choir, or at Christ Triumphator. The back Madonna, from the 19th century, standing on infernal animals, turns her face towards the entrance. The many capitals with rich animal and plant motifs are also remarkable. Those of the ambulatory contain representations of the evangelist motifs (lion, eagle, bull and man).
Organs
The main organ was built in 1947 by the Verschueren organ building company. The instrument has 40 registers on three manuals and a pedal .
I Hauptwerk C – g 3
Bourdon
16 ′
Prestant
08th'
Bourdon
08th'
Salicionaal
08th'
Octaaf
04 ′
Dwarsfluit
04 ′
Kwint
02 2 ⁄ 3 ′
Octaaf
02 ′
Mixture IV-VI 0
Trumpet
08th'
II Swell C – g 3
Kwintadeen
16 ′
Hornprestant
08th'
Holpijp
08th'
Gamba
08th'
Prestant
04 ′
Fluit
04 ′
Piccolo
02 ′
Night horn
01'
Scherp IV-VI
Dulciaan
16 ′
Solo trumpet
08th'
Hobo
04 ′
III Rückpositiv C – g 3
Bourdon
8th'
Gemshoorn
8th'
Prestant
4 ′
Blokfluit
4 ′
Kwint
2 2 ⁄ 3 ′
Zwitsersepijp
2 ′
Terts
1 3 ⁄ 5 ′
Cimbel IV
Kromhoorn
8th'
Pedals C – f 1
Prestantbas 0
16 ′
Subbas
16 ′
Octaafbas
08th'
Gedekt
08th'
Prestantbas
04 ′
Mixture III
Bazuin
16 ′
Trumpet
08th'
Clear
04 ′
The cathedral also has a choir organ . The instrument was built in 1890/91 by the organ building company Franssen (Roermond) and was last restored by the building company in 2011. The instrument has 24 registers on two manuals and a pedal.
