Saint-Barthélemy (Liège)
The Church of St. Barthélemy (ndl. Sint-Bartolomeüskerk) is a Romanesque church from the 11th and 12th centuries in the Belgian city of Liège . It is dedicated to St. Bartholomew .
history
The predecessor of today's church was donated at the beginning of the 11th century by Godescalc de Morialmé, provost of the Lambertus Cathedral in Liège. It was a collegiate church for initially twelve canons . After 1025 this number was increased to twenty, and in 1043 even to thirty.
The consecration of this church, which at that time was still outside the city walls, took place in 1015 by the Prince-Bishop of Liège, Balderich II , and by Heribert , Archbishop of Cologne . Nothing has been preserved from this previous building. The archaeological findings indicate, however, that this church probably had an outside crypt to the east of the choir , similar to the St. Amelberga basilica in Susteren .
The oldest part of today's church is the square choir in the east of the church from the end of the 11th century. Unlike the rest of the church, it is built in coal sandstone . The transept and the central nave date from the 12th century. With the completion of the westwork in 1180, the construction was essentially completed.
In the 18th century, two more aisles were added to the church , so that it now had a total of five aisles . Later that century, in 1782, the westwork was broken through by a classical portal. Some of the windows were probably walled up and an oculus added over the portal .
In the 19th century, the tower helmets were given their current rhombic shape, which is typical for the Rhineland ( Maria Laach Abbey , St. Aposteln in Cologne). Between 1999 and 2005 the church was repainted based on the model of Limburg Cathedral .
Westwork
The block-like westwork of the church is 22 m high, 28 m wide and 12 m deep. It consists of three floors of equal height. The lower and upper floors are decorated with pilaster strips and arched friezes ; on the middle floor there are blind arcades on small limestone pillars . The two square towers rise from the westwork, which are also structured by pilaster strips and arched friezes.
Inside, the westwork is divided into three rooms: The central choir is flanked by two smaller, rectangular rooms, which are separated from the west choir on the first floor by three round arches. In contrast to many other western works in the region ( Church of Our Lady and Servatius Basilica in Maastricht), there is no central room or chapel inside.
Nevertheless, the westwork is very similar to that of the Servatius basilica. The proportions, the designs and the decorations are almost identical. In view of the older age of the Servatius Church, it is obvious that it served as a model.
inner space
The interior of the church was redesigned in baroque style in the 18th century ( stucco , gilding, installation of the new high altar ), whereby the change of pillars was retained. In the area of the westwork, most of the baroque additions were removed during the last restoration.
The organ was built from 1848 to 1851 by the organ builders Merklin & Schütze (Brussels). The instrument has 40 stops on three manuals and a pedal . The game actions are mechanical (with Barker machines), the stop actions and couplings are mechanical. The organ was subjected to an extensive restoration in 2014 by the Orgelbau Schumacher workshop in Eupen , during which the tonal aesthetics of the Merklin organ from the middle of the 19th century was sought. '
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- Coupling: II / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
- annotation
- (n) = subsequently added register (2014)
Baptismal font
The most famous work of art in the church is the baptismal font by Reiner von Huy , a bronze caster who lived in Liège in the 1st quarter of the 12th century. The baptismal font, which was commissioned by Abbot Hellinus around 1107–1125 for the Notre-Dame-aux-Fonts church in Liège, has been in the St. Barthélemy church since 1803 and is the only work that can be assigned to this artist with certainty. The cup-shaped, brass-colored basin, decorated with christening scenes, is carried by 10 (originally twelve) ox. The lid, presumably with images of apostles and prophets , was lost in the 18th century when the basin had to be brought to safety from the French revolutionary troops .
The individual christening scenes are separated from each other by images of trees. One recognizes the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan , the sermon of John the Baptist in the desert, the baptism of two catechumens , the baptism of the Roman centurion Cornelius and the baptism of the Greek philosopher Craton .
Due to the sculptural, monumental-looking elaboration and the lifelike representation of the movement, which suggests the influences of ancient art, the baptismal font represents a high point of Maasland art and a model for the high medieval "Renaissance" . In the 1970s it became the "Zeven wonderen." van België ”. In addition, the baptismal font still fulfills its function at baptism today.
literature
- JJM Timmers: De kunst van het Maasland, dl. 1: De Romaanse period. Assen 1971.
- Rijn en Maas. Kunst en Cultuur 800–1400. Tentoonstellingscatalogus, Keulen en Brussel 1972.
- S. Collon-Gevaert: Histoire des arts du métal en Belgique. 1951
- S. Collon-Gevaert: Art roman dans la vallée de la Meuse au XIe et XIIe siècles. 1962
- Peter Lasko: Ars Sacra. 800-1200. Penguin History of Art (nu Yale) (1972)
- JJM Timmers: Art van het Maasland. 1971
- Peter Xhayet, Robert Halleux (ed.): Études sur les fonts baptismaux de Saint-Barthélémy à Liège. Editions du CEFAL (2006) (online tekst op Google Books)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on the organs. Retrieved May 11, 2019 (French). ; see. also the detailed information including disposition (French)
- ↑ Guido Schumacher: Restoration of the organ from 2014
Coordinates: 50 ° 38 ′ 52.4 " N , 5 ° 34 ′ 58.1" E