The

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 ...

St. Bartholomew Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

is an historical building in Liège, Belgium. Founded outside the city walls, it was built in coal sandstone, starting in the late 11th century (the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

) and lasting until the late 12th century (the massive

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 ...

, with its twin towers which were reconstructed in 1876). It underwent, like most ancient religious buildings, modifications through the centuries. Nevertheless, the

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 ...

Romanesque—

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 ...

character of its architecture remained deeply rooted. The 18th century saw the addition of two more

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...

s, the opening of a neoclassical portal in the walls of the westwork, and the

French Baroque French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

redecoration of the interior. The interior of the western section has recently been restored back to the original style. The Collegiate Church of St. Bartholomew was one of the original

seven collegiate churches of Liège The seven collegiate churches of Liège (french: sept collégiales de Liège) were a group of 10th- and early-11th-century foundations in the city of Liège. Each of these collegiate churches was a privileged corporation within the city, with its o ...

, which also included the Churches of St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, St. Denis, St. Martin, and the Holy Cross, and until the

Liège Revolution The Liège Revolution, sometimes known as the Happy Revolution (french: Heureuse Révolution; wa, Binamêye revolucion), against the reigning prince-bishop of Liège, started on 18 August 1789 and lasted until the destruction of the Republic ...

of 1789 collectively comprised the "secondary clergy" in the

First Estate The estates of the realm, or three estates, were the broad orders of social hierarchy used in Christendom (Christian Europe) from the Middle Ages to early modern Europe. Different systems for dividing society members into estates developed and ...

of the

Prince-bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as its prince, ...

. In 2006, the church emerged from heavy restoration work lasting seven years and involving 10,000 replaced stones and the restoration of the polychromy of the walls).

Art collections

The church contains numerous works of art, among which may be mentioned ''The Glorification of the Holy Cross'', a tableau of the local painter

Bertholet Flemalle Bertholet Flemalle, Flemal, or Flamael (1614–1675) was a Liège Baroque painter. Biography The son of a glass painter, he was instructed in his art by Henri Trippet and Gerard Douffet successively. He visited Rome in 1638, and was invit ...

(1614-1675); ''The Crucifixion'', from another local artist,

Englebert Fisen Englebert Fisen (1655 - 15 April 1733) was a Flemish painting, Flemish painter and a pupil of Bertholet Flemalle. Fisen was born at Liège. When still very young he went to Italy, where he studied under Carlo Maratta, Carlo Maratti, whose style ...

(1655-1733); and a statue of St. Roch by Renier Panhay de Rendeux. St. Bartholomew is the site of one of the most known examples of ecclesiastical

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 ...

, a baptismal font attributed to the goldsmith

Renier de Huy Renier de Huy (or Rainer of Huy) (also Reiner, van, etc. in any combination) was a 12th-century metalworker and sculptor to whom is attributed a major masterpiece of Mosan art, the baptismal font at St Bartholomew's Church, Liège in Liège, Bel ...

. It was commissioned at the beginning of the 12th century (1107-1108) by the Abbot Hellin for the Church of Notre-Dame-aux-Fonts, now destroyed, where local baptisms traditionally were administered. The font was installed in St. Bartholomew Church in 1804, after having been spared from the occupying forces of the

French Revolutionary Army The French Revolutionary Army (french: Armée révolutionnaire française) was the French land force that fought the French Revolutionary Wars from 1792 to 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour, their poor equipme ...

. This work heralds a resurgence of Greek influences on Western art. The brass tank, resting on ten (originally twelve) ox figures, presents five scenes: the

Baptism of Jesus The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is a major event in the life of Jesus which is described in the three synoptic Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark and Luke). It is considered to have taken place at Al-Maghtas (also called Bet ...

in the Jordan, the preaching of St. John the Baptist, the baptism of the catechumens, the baptism of the

Centurion Cornelius Cornelius ( el, Κορνήλιος, translit=Kornélios; la, Cornelius) was a Roman centurion who is considered by Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith, as related in Acts of the Apostles (see Ethiopian eunuch for the comp ...

, and the baptism of the philosopher Craton.

Notable figures

Alger of Liège Alger of Liège (1055–1131), known also as Alger of Cluny and Algerus Magister, was a learned clergyman and canonist from Liège, author of several notable works. Alger was first deacon and scholaster of St Bartholomew's Church, Liège, church ...

(1055–1131), deacon

References

{{Coord, 50.6479, N, 5.5828, E, type:landmark, display=title 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Belgium Collegiate churches in Belgium Mosan art Romanesque architecture in Belgium Ottonian architecture Wallonia's Major Heritage Saint-Barthélemy