The Collegiate Church of St. Gertrude is a historical building in

Nivelles Nivelles (; nl, Nijvel, ; wa, Nivele; vls, Neyvel) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Nivelles municipality includes the former municipalities of Baulers, Bornival, Thines, and Monst ...

Walloon Brabant Walloon Brabant (french: Brabant wallon ; nl, Waals-Brabant ; wa, Roman Payis) is a province located in Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region) and ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

, Belgium, which was built in the 11th century. Saint Gertude is the patron saint of cats.

History

This church was built to serve the Abbey of Nivelles, originally a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s founded by

Itta of Metz Itta of Metz, O.S.B. (also ''Ida'', ''Itte'' or ''Iduberga''; 592–8 May 652) was the wife of Pepin of Landen, Mayor of the Palace of the Kingdom of Austrasia. After his death, she founded the Abbey of Nivelles, where she became a Colombanian ...

, the widow of

Pepin of Landen Pepin I (also Peppin, Pipin, or Pippin) of Landen (c. 580 – 27 February 640), also called the Elder or the Old, was the Mayor of the palace of Austrasia under the Merovingian King Dagobert I from 623 to 629. He was also the Mayor for Si ...

, and mother of Gertrude of Nivelles, the first

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Copt ...

, in the 7th century. Her remains are buried in a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

of the church. This structure was built in the early 11th century and consecrated in 1046 by Wazo,

Bishop of Liège A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

, in the presence of the Emperor Henry III. It is an example both of

Mosan art Mosan art is a regional style of art from the valley of the Meuse in present-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Although in a broader sense the term applies to art from this region from all periods, it generally refers to Romanesque ar ...

and of

Ottonian architecture Ottonian architecture is an architectural style which evolved during the reign of Emperor Otto the Great. The style was found in Germany and lasted from the mid 10th century until the mid 11th century. History Ottonian architecture draws its inspi ...

. With the growing membership of members of the nobility among the nuns starting in the 12th century, the community gradually changed its character from its monastic one until it had become a community of canonesses regular by the 15th century, at the latest. At that point, the church acquired its status of

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...

. Claudine Donnay-Rocmans writes in the ''Patrimoine majeur de Wallonie'' that the interior dimensions recall: "the splendour of the

Ottonian The Ottonian dynasty (german: Ottonen) was a Saxon dynasty of German monarchs (919–1024), named after three of its kings and Holy Roman Emperors named Otto, especially its first Emperor Otto I. It is also known as the Saxon dynasty after the ...

liturgy, as people are able to know it from the Abbey of Essen (Germany)". The

westwork A westwork (german: Westwerk), forepart, avant-corps or avancorpo is the monumental, often west-facing entrance section of a Carolingian, Ottonian, or Romanesque church. The exterior consists of multiple stories between two towers. The interio ...

has been reconstructed. Its current appearance is the result of a long reconstruction finished in 1984, following severe damage from bombing by the German

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

in May 1940, in the course of the Battle of Belgium.

Noble Canonesses of Nivelles

The noble Chapter of the canonesses regular became very known and had important privileges, Most of the Noble canonesses were daughters of important families. * Ursule, Countess of Berlo: Abbesse. * Marie Magdeleine de Montmorency, daughter of John II de Montmorency, prince of Robecque.

Jean Charles Joseph de Vegiano Jean Charles Joseph de Vegiano (1724–1794), lord of Hovel, was a genealogist and heraldist of the nobility of the Low Countries and the County of Burgundy The Free County of Burgundy or Franche-Comté (french: Franche Comté de Bourgogne; germa ...

, ''Suite du supplément au Nobiliaire des Pays-Bas et du comté de Bourgogne'', Volumes 3-4 * Marie Anne of Grave, granddaughter of Gilles van der Noot, Baron of Carloo. * Barbe Josephine of Grave, idem. * Marie Philippe of Grave, idem. * Marie Albertine de Berghes-Saint-Winoc (1726-) * Marie d'Oyenbrugghe de Duras * Marie Isabella de la Tour et Taxis, daughter of Eugene Alexandre, married later to Guillaume Alexandre de Wignacourt, Count of Lannoy. * Maria Clara de 't Serclaes, daughet of Count John t Serclaes. * Antoinette Francoise of Arberg, daughter of Nicolas, count of Arberg. * Marie Josepha Taye, daughter of the Marquess of Wemmel, married to the Marquess of Assche. * Isabeau-Angélique Van Zuylen, dite d'Erpe * Helen de Lannoy, daughter of Valentin. * Anna Maria de Robles, daughter of

Jean de Roblès, 1st Count of Annappes Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Je ...

, married to Conrad d'Ursel. * Marie-Francoise d'Estourmel, married to Jean-Francois de Jauche.

Burials

, foundress of the abbey * Gertrude of Nivelles, first

of the monastery which this church served * Ermentrude, daughter of

Reginar IV, Count of Mons Reginar IV, Count of Mons, in Hainaut, (c. 950–1013) was the son of Reginar III who died in exile in Bohemia in 973. Lambert I of Leuven was his brother. History His father Reginar III was exiled in 958 as a rebel, by Otto I, Holy Roman Emper ...

and Hedwig of France

References

{{coord, 50.5975, 4.3235, type:landmark_region:BE, display=title 11th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Belgium Churches in Walloon Brabant Collegiate churches in Belgium Romanesque architecture in Belgium Mosan art Ottonian architecture Nivelles Wallonia's Major Heritage