| Basilica of Our Lady | |
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The Basilica of Our Lady in the center |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Maastricht, Netherlands |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Minor basilica |
| Heritage designation | Rijksmonument |
| Website | www.sterre-der-zee.nl |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
The Roman catholic Basilica of Our Lady (in Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouwebasiliek, in Limburgish (Maastrichtian variant): Slevrouwe) is a Romanesque basilica in Maastricht, The Netherlands, dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. The church is often referred to as the Star of the Sea, after the church's main devotion, Our Lady, Star of the Sea. The church is dependent of the Diocese of Roermond and was made a Basilica Minor in 1933.
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The present-day church is not the first church that was built on this site. Since no archeological research has ever been carried out inside the present building, nothing certain can be said about this. The church's site, inside the Roman castrum and adjacent to a religious shrine dedicated to the god Jupiter, suggests that the site was once occupied by a Roman temple. It is not unlikely that the town's first church was built here and that this church in the 4th century became the cathedral of the diocese of Tongeren-Maastricht. It is clear that at one point the church of Saint Servatius became the main church in Maastricht, but throughout the Middle Ages the two churches' chapters remained rivals.
The present church is largely Romanesque. Blocks of stone from the ancient Roman walls were re-used for the westwork which dates from shortly after 1000 AD. Most of the church was built in the course of the 12th century, including the late 12th century East choir with its two- storey ambulatory with richly decorated capitals.
In the 14th century a parish church was built next to the main church so the main building could be reserved for the chapter's religious duties. Of this parish church, dedicated to Saint Nicolas, nothing remains as it was demolished in 1837. In the 15th century the present Star of the Sea chapel was added and a century later the Romanesque cloisters were replaced by the present late Gothic cloisters.
After the incorporation of Maastricht in the French First Republic in 1794, the cities religious chapters were dissolved and the church of Our Lady was used for all kinds of purposes by the military garrison. Until 1837 the church remained a blacksmith shop. Many of the church treasures were lost during this period, including a silver reliquary cross with a large particle of the True Cross (now in the Vatican Museums).
From 1887-1917 the church was thoroughly restored by the well-known Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers who basically removed everything that did not fit his view of the ideal Romanesque church.
The church's main attraction for many people is the miraculous statue of Our Lady, Star of the Sea. The 15th century statue originally was housed in a chapel at the nearby Franciscan monastery. In 1801 it was moved to the former parish church of Saint Nicolas and after the closure of that church in 1837, the whole parish including the statue of the Star of the Sea moved to Our Lady's. In 1903 it was placed in the chapel near the main entrance where it remains today and where it is visited daily by hundreds of worshipers. Once a year it is being carried around town in the city's main religious procession.
The architectural sculpture in the interior of the Basilica of Our Lady belongs to the highlights of Mosan art. The 20 highly symbolic capitals in the choir ambulatory depict various kinds of animals, monsters, birds, naked or scarcely-dressed humans entangled in foliage, and humans fighting with animals. Near the center of the ambulatory there are a number of biblical scenes. One capital in particular is famous as it was signed Heimo, probably by its maker, who may also be represented on it, handing over a capital to the virgin Mary. The carved capitals and corbels of the choir gallery, as well as the capitals in the nave, depict mainly foliage and some human and animal figures. Most of the capitals, as well as some important reliefs elsewhere in the church, date from the second half of the 12th century. A close relationship has been established between the Romanesque sculpture in Our Lady's and that in the Church of St Peter in Utrecht and the double church in Schwarzrheindorf (Bonn).[1]