St. Francis Basilica (Bolsward)

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St. Francis Basilica
Interior of the basilica
Lead glazing with Paschal Baylon, martyr of Gorkum, last supper, miracle of Amsterdam

The St. Francis Basilica ( Dutch St. Franciscusbasiliek ) is a Roman Catholic church in Bolsward in the Netherlands . The parish church belonging to the diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden is consecrated to St. Francis of Assisi and has been a basilica minor since 2017 and has been protected as a Rijksmonument since 1999 .

history

The new church was built in 1932. It replaced two older Catholic churches in Bolsward, the Martinus Church in the same street and the Franziskus Church from 1849, which stood in the same place as the current church of the same name. A few houses around the old church were demolished so that a larger space could be created for the church. The design for the new church was completed in 1932, construction began in 1933. The church was consecrated on May 8, 1934.

On November 23, 2016, Pope Francis awarded the church the title of a minor basilica in connection with the veneration of Mary of the Seven Sorrows and the veneration of the blessed Titus Brandsma , who came from Bolsward and was murdered in the Dachau concentration camp. The proclamation on the basilica took place on May 28, 2017 by the Nuncio Aldo Cavalli .

architecture

The Nijmegen architect Hendrik Christiaan van de Leur designed the church with a cruciform floor plan in the style of brick expressionism , using elements of Art Deco in the style of his master Paul Bellot. Both the exterior and interior of the church are distinguished by a decorative use of brick . On the outside, decorative patterns are created with red bricks, and inside, mainly with different shades of glazed masonry bricks, including the wide arches of the central and transepts. The concrete construction used with a roof spanning the entire church creates a large spatial effect. On both sides of the wide central nave there are narrow side aisles with a gallery above. On the southeast side there is the church tower with an octagonal floor plan and a tent roof , on the other side of the entrance there is a tower stump. A statue of Francis stands between the entrance doors.

Furnishing

Elements from the previous churches were also used for the windows, such as a leaded glass window by L. van Essen from Roermond, which shows the Last Supper , the miracle of Amsterdam, the martyrs of Gorkum and St. Paschal Baylon .

The church has a wooden statue of an enthroned Madonna and Child from the 13th century. This statue of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows is in one of the two chapels next to the entrance. The present altar and tabernacle, executed in heavy art deco forms, were erected in 1947. The altar in the six-sided apse was moved after the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. In the niches of the transept there are statues of St. Joseph, St. Vinzenz and St. Willibrord.

Web links

Commons : St. Francis Basilica  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ St. Franciscusbasiliek on gcatholic.org
  2. ↑ a b c St. Fransiscuskerk on monument register
  3. ↑ Decree of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Order of the Sacraments on November 26, 2016
  4. ↑ Proclamatieviering Sint Franciscusbasiliek from the parish website (Dutch)

Coordinates: 53 ° 3 '47.1 "  N , 5 ° 31' 20.9"  E