St. Christopher's Cathedral in the Dutch city of

Roermond Roermond (; li, Remunj or ) is a city, municipality, and diocese in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. Roermond is a historically important town on the lower Roer on the east bank of the river Meuse. It received town rights in 1231. Roer ...

is the main church of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond The Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, located in the Netherlands. The diocese is one of the seven suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Roman Catholic Archd ...

. It is dedicated to Saint

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

Location

The cathedral is located on the market square, near the river

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

and a Meuse fortress, on a pedestrian underpass leading to the outlet Centre.

History

The construction of the Christoffelkerk, which began in 1410 and was initially designed as a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

on a cruciform ground plan, was intended to replace an older

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

outside the walls of the town of Roermond. During the 15th century the building plans were changed; the choir was completed as a three-aisled hall, the nave was built with five naves. The building was completed in the course of the 16th century. In 1661 the church was elevated to the status of bishop's church of the

, established in 1559. The building includes stained glass by Dutch artist

Joep Nicolas Joep Nicolas (Josephus Antonius Hubertus Franciscus Nicolas, October 6, 1897 – July 25, 1972) was a Dutch-born French ecclesiastical artist specializing in stained glass and sculpture. He was also a muralist, book illustrator, cartoonist, costume ...

. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the church suffered heavy damage when German troops blew up the 78-metre-high tower built into the western part of the nave on the day before the liberation of the town by Allied troops. The tower has been restored to its old form after the war. The earthquake in the Roermond area in 1992 caused further damage. A new, comprehensive renovation took place in the years 2005 to 2007.

External links

St. Christoffel Kathedraal Roermond
(Dutch) Roman Catholic cathedrals in the Netherlands Bell towers in the Netherlands Churches in Limburg (Netherlands) Rijksmonuments in Limburg Towers in Limburg (Netherlands) Buildings and structures in Roermond Gothic architecture in the Netherlands 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the Netherlands {{europe-RC-cathedral-stub