St Martin's church is an 18th-century listed building and Catholic

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, ...

Junglinster Junglinster ( lb, Jonglënster) is a commune in central Luxembourg, which draws its name from its principal town, Junglinster. It is one of six communes in the Luxembourg canton of Grevenmacher. The 18th-century St Martin's church is a nationa ...

Grevenmacher Grevenmacher (; ) is a commune with town status in eastern Luxembourg, near the border with Germany. It gives its name to and is the capital of the canton of Grevenmacher, and, until its abolition in 2015, the district of Grevenmacher. The town ...

(

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

). It contains artworks and monuments from the older parish church that the building replaced. The oldest monuments commemorate members of the noble d'Orley family, to whom the Renaissance artist

Bernard van Orley Bernard van Orley (between 1487 and 1491 – 6 January 1541), also called Barend or Barent van Orley, Bernaert van Orley or Barend van Brussel, was a versatile Flemish artist and representative of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, who w ...

was related.Alex Langini, ''L'Église Saint-Martin: Un chef-d'oeuvre baroque'' (undated booklet)

History

The parish has existed since medieval times, but by 1688 the original church was in a state of disrepair, and litigation about who was responsible for upkeep delayed renovation. In January 1744, Johannes Otto Borrigs became

parish priest A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

. In the 1750s Borrigs laid out a walled garden around the presbytery, and in 1762 had a new presbytery built in the style of a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

. The contrast between the new presbytery and the dilapidation of the church itself led to pressure to build a new church. Agreement was reached in 1771, and the new building was erected in 1772–1773, to plans attributed to Paul Mungenast (1735–1797), master of works to the

Abbey of Echternach The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded in the 7th century by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg. For three hundred years, it benefited from the pat ...

. The inspiration for the design was the

Basilica of St. Paulinus, Trier Saint Paulinus (german: St. Paulinskirche) is a Baroque church in the city of Trier, Germany. Constructed between 1734 and 1753, the interior was designed by Johann Balthasar Neumann. The ceiling of the nave features a painting by the artist Christ ...

. The building was consecrated on 24 July 1774 by the auxiliary bishop,

Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim Johann Nikolaus von Hontheim (January 27, 1701 – September 2, 1790) was a German historian and theologian. He is remembered as Febronius, the pseudonym under which he wrote his 1763 treatise ''On the State of the Church and the Legitimate Powe ...

. The murals were painted by the Czech artist Ignatius Millim (1747–1820). The

Altar of Our Lady An altar of Our Lady is a side altar in a Catholic church, usually the most prominent altar after the main or principal altar. It is dedicated in a special manner to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. To indicate this specific preference, this ...

dates to 1903. Enlargement works were carried out in 1938, and restorations in 1973 and 2010.

References

Churches in Luxembourg Baroque architecture in Luxembourg 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings Monuments and memorials in Luxembourg {{Europe-church-stub