Collegiate Church of Saint-Barthélémy
The temple was founded by the parish priest of the Cathedral of Saint Lambert, Godescalc de Morialmé, during the reign of Prince-Bishop Baldéric (1008-1018), successor of Notger. It is a valuable testimony to the Romanesque architecture of the Rhine-Moses style. Built outside the city walls on an initial Latin cross plan, the collegiate church was rebuilt many times. The eastern choir (chancel), with a flat end wall, dates from the end of the 11th century. The transept and three naves were added at the beginning of the 12th century. The massive western wing ("Westwerk"), which forms the front part, was built last, around 1170-1185. The church was restored in the 14th and 16th centuries and modernized in the 18th century.
After the reconstruction of the choir (around 1706), two additional side aisles were added (around 1735-1748), and a monumental portal was carved in the main façade, replacing the original side entrances. The building is topped with a vault, and the entire interior is covered with stucco and painted decorations. After the dissolution of the collegiate chapter (1797), the church of St. Bartholomew was converted into a military warehouse. The collegiate church was restored to religious worship in 1803, and from then on it was a parish church. Its possessions were then expanded to include the famous baptismal font from the church of Notre Dame-aux-Fonts (considered one of the "seven wonders of Belgium"), the carillon from the Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey and a beautiful set of sculptures from the parish church of Saint-Thomas, destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century. Between 1999 and 2006, the church underwent a thorough renovation.
After the reconstruction of the choir (around 1706), two additional side aisles were added (around 1735-1748), and a monumental portal was carved in the main façade, replacing the original side entrances. The building is topped with a vault, and the entire interior is covered with stucco and painted decorations. After the dissolution of the collegiate chapter (1797), the church of St. Bartholomew was converted into a military warehouse. The collegiate church was restored to religious worship in 1803, and from then on it was a parish church. Its possessions were then expanded to include the famous baptismal font from the church of Notre Dame-aux-Fonts (considered one of the "seven wonders of Belgium"), the carillon from the Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey and a beautiful set of sculptures from the parish church of Saint-Thomas, destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century. Between 1999 and 2006, the church underwent a thorough renovation.
The sandstone exterior walls of the transept and central nave retain decorations in the form of pilaster strips (flat, vertical projections in the exterior wall), characteristic of Romanesque architecture in the Meuse region. The protruding vertical pilaster strips alternate with semicircular niches and are topped with an arcaded frieze running under the cornice (the so-called Lombard arrangement).
The Westwork, also made of sandstone, rising on the west side is an exceptional example of the 12th-century Romanesque style from the Meuse region. It has the shape of a cuboid with dimensions: height 22 meters, length 28 meters, depth 12 meters. Pilaster strips and arcades, supported by narrow limestone columns, diversify its three-level façades. The massive shape of the Westwerk forms the basis for two twin towers, built on an almost exact square plan. The towers have two floors with double, decorated windows (biforia) and, like before, are decorated with pilaster strips. The towers are topped with triangular gable pediments and a hipped roof with diamond-shaped slopes.
The Westwork, also made of sandstone, rising on the west side is an exceptional example of the 12th-century Romanesque style from the Meuse region. It has the shape of a cuboid with dimensions: height 22 meters, length 28 meters, depth 12 meters. Pilaster strips and arcades, supported by narrow limestone columns, diversify its three-level façades. The massive shape of the Westwerk forms the basis for two twin towers, built on an almost exact square plan. The towers have two floors with double, decorated windows (biforia) and, like before, are decorated with pilaster strips. The towers are topped with triangular gable pediments and a hipped roof with diamond-shaped slopes.
In the presbytery there is the main altar decorated with a painting by Englebert Fisen (1655-1733), depicting the martyrdom of St. Bartholomew. The five naves of the church contain many works of art. In the right part of the transept we will find a painting, Elevation of Saint Cross , which was painted by the most talented 17th-century painter in Liege, Bertholet Flemala (1614-1675). In the left part of the transept hangs the painting The Crucifixion from 1684, painted by Engelbert Fisena. This painting, created for the main altar in the Sainte-Madeleine church, is considered one of the greatest achievements of this 17th-century painter. In the old altar, visible in the right side aisle, you can admire The Last Supper (1708), a painting by Theodore-Edmund Plumier (1671-1733).
You can also admire wooden sculptures painted to imitate white marble. The artistry of the 18th-century Liege school of sculpture is visible here. The monumental organ, put into service on January 7, 1852, is the work of the Merklin and Schütze factory. The organ woodwork is the work of the sculptor PN Radino.
The most important treasure in the collegiate church is undoubtedly the baptismal font, counted among the seven wonders of Belgium. It comes from the church of Notre Dame - aux - Fonts. Located near the Cathedral of Saint-Lambert, the church of Notre Dame was its baptistery. Both churches were demolished in the period following the French Revolution and the end of Liège's independence. The lid of the baptismal font, which, like the laver, was supposed to be made of brass and decorated with figures of prophets and apostles, has been lost. The baptismal font is a wonderful example of a skillful combination of elements of antiquity, Byzantine art and the Mosaic tradition. The only theme that recurs in the five subsequent scenes in the form of embossments on the wall of the vat is baptism.
The ladle is placed on a stone pedestal and appears to be supported by oxen, of which there were originally twelve (ten remain). They are a symbol of the twelve apostles. The stylized trees bear signs of Byzantine influence. They separate most scenes and also provide a transition between them. In all scenes, the central figure – the preacher or baptist – is slightly taller than the other people surrounding him. This type of presentation method has been widely used in folk art of all times and countries, but here the artist has composed the scenes in such a way that the disproportion seems natural. The inscriptions carved on the vat allow us to identify all the heroes. We have here: the prophecy of John the Baptist, the baptism of the neophyte or the baptism of repentance, the central scene the baptism of Christ, the baptism of Cornelius, the baptism of Craton.
The baptismal font was made using the lost wax method. It involves carefully covering a wax model with clay. After drying, the prepared form is fired in a fire. At this stage, the wax flows out and is lost. Molten brass is then poured into the mold. After cooling and removing the clay, it is polished with fine sand and then covered with a thin coating of gold.
The baptismal font was made using the lost wax method. It involves carefully covering a wax model with clay. After drying, the prepared form is fired in a fire. At this stage, the wax flows out and is lost. Molten brass is then poured into the mold. After cooling and removing the clay, it is polished with fine sand and then covered with a thin coating of gold.
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Address:
Place Saint Barthelmy 8 4000 Liège |
Opening hours:
Monday -Saturday: 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00 Sunday: 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Holy Masses: Tuesday-Saturday: 6:00 PM Sunday: 9:30 |
Fare:
2 euros |