Basilica of Saint Servatius

Basilica of Saint Servatius
The basilica at the Vrijthof Square
Basic information
Location	Maastricht, Netherlands
Geographic coordinates	50°50′55″N 5°41′14″E / 50.84861°N 5.68722°E / 50.84861; 5.68722Coordinates: 50°50′55″N 5°41′14″E / 50.84861°N 5.68722°E / 50.84861; 5.68722
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Basilica minor
Heritage designation	Rijksmonument 27168
Website	www.sintservaas.nl
Architectural description
Architectural style	Romanesque

Church plan

Westwork and Bergportaal

The Roman catholic Basilica of Saint Servatius, situated in Maastricht (the Netherlands) at the Vrijthof square, is a mainly Romanesque church dedicated to Saint Servatius.

History

The present-day church is probably the fourth church that was built on the site of the grave of Saint Servatius (c. 310-384), an Armenian missionary who became the first bishop of Maastricht. A small memorial chapel on the saint's grave was replaced by a larger stone church by bishop Monulph in the 6th century. The ever increasing flow of pilgrims made it necessary to build a larger pilgrim church in the 10th century. This church was then replaced by the present-day Romanesque structure, which was built in several stages. The nave was built in the first half of the 11th century, the transept in the second half of the century, and the choir and westwork in the 12th century. The latter were built during a period in which the church reached its peak. In those days, the chapter kept close ties to the Holy Roman Emperors. Several of the church's provosts held the office of chancellor of the German Empire.

The sculpted Bergportaal, at the south side of the church, was begun around 1180 and can be considered early Gothic. Likewise, all the chapels along the side aisles are all Gothic {14th and 15th century), as are the nave ceiling and parts of the southern transept. In 1556 a Renaissance spire was added onto the westwork. between the two existing towers. In 1770 the entire westwork was crowned with Baroque helmet spires.

Over the centuries the interior of the church underwent many changes. In the 17th century, the choir rood screen with sculpted depictions of the life of Servatius was demolished. Fragments from the 14th century screen were discovered during the 1980s restorations. By the end of the 18th century, the entire church interior had been painted white, the colourful Medieval stained glass windows had been replaced by colourless glass, and the church looked distinctly Baroque.

In 1797 the chapter was dissolved by the French revolutionaries and the church was used as a horse stable by the troops. In 1804 the church became a parish church once again. Unfortunately, it was during this period that irreparable damage was done to the church interior: It was decided that for liturgical reasons, the elavated choir needed to be lowered. The underlying 11th century crypt was entirely demolished. Also, the altar on which the reliquary chest of Saint Servatius and the four reliquary panels had been displayed, was demolished. Sadly, in 1846 the reliquary panels were sold.

Between 1866 and 1900 the church underwent major restorations in which some of the damage done earlier in the century was reversed. The restoration was led by famous Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers. In 1955 a fire caused Cuypers' Gothic Revival westwork spire to fall through the roof of the church, which made another thorough restoration necessary (1982–1991). During this latter restoration, Cuypers' colourful interior decoration scheme was largely removed. During this restoration, excavations in the church and adjacent buildings revealed a wealth of information about the history of the church and its predecessors.

Religious significance

Through the ages, the presence of the grave of Saint Servatius in the church crypt and the many relics in the church treasury, have drawn large numbers of pilgrims. Starting in the 14th century (but perhaps earlier) a seven-yearly pilgrimage was organized in cooperation with nearby Aachen Cathedral and Kornelimünster Abbey, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the region. The so-called Heiligdomsvaart tradition continues in our days. The most recent Heiligdomsvaart took place in July 2011.

Today, the Basilica of Saint Servatius is the main church of the Deanery of Maastricht, which belongs to the Diocese of Roermond. The church continues to be one of the two principal religious shrines in Maastricht (the other one being the Basilica of Our Lady). The church was made a Basilica Minor by Pope John Paul II during his visit in 1985.

Art historical significance

Carved capital in Westwork

The westwork of the Basilica of Saint Servatius is considered one of the most interesting twelfth century constructions in the Meuse valley region. The architectural sculpture in the interior of the westwork belongs to the highlights of Mosan art. The 34 elaborately carved capitals depict scenes from books well-known to the canons, such as Saint Augustine's De Civitate Dei and various Bestiaries. Recurrent themes are: botanical ornaments, animals, humans fighting with animals, humans entangled in plants, and humans engaged in daily activities. A close relationship has been established by art historians between these Maastricht capitals and those in the Rolduc crypt, the Schwarzrheindorf (Bonn) dwarf gallery, and the Wartburg palace near Eisenach.

The choir ceiling shows remnants of ceiling paintings, depicting the visions of Zechariah. This may be the only surviving work by the group of Maastricht painters, who received high praise from Wolfram von Eschenbach in his Parzival.

See also

• Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius

Sources

• Elizabeth den Hartog: Romanesque sculpture in Maastricht. Maastricht, 2002
• A.M. Koldeweij: Der gude Sente Servas. Assen/Maastricht, 1985
• Aart J.J. Mekking: De Sint-Servaaskerk te Maastricht. Utrecht/Zutphen, 1986

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: St. Servaas Basiliek Maastricht (St. Servatius)

• Official site Basilica of Saint Servatius
• Official site Heiligdomsvaart