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—al ...

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

cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members o ...

History

This church was built to serve the

Abbey of Nivelles The Abbey of Nivelles, is a former Imperial Abbey of the Holy Roman Empire founded in 640. It is located in Wallonia in the town of Nivelles in Province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. Foundation The abbey was founded by Itta of Metz, the widow ...

, 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 whic ...

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, the widow of Pepin of Landen, and mother of

Gertrude of Nivelles Gertrude of Nivelles, OSB (also spelled ''Geretrude'', ''Geretrudis'', ''Gertrud''; c. 628 – 17 March 659) was a seventh-century abbess who, with her mother Itta, founded the Abbey of Nivelles, now in Belgium. Life Family and childhood The ea ...

, 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 type ...

of the church. This structure was built in the early 11th century and

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different gro ...

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. 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 Canoness is a member of a religious community of women living a simple life. Many communities observe the monastic Rule of St. Augustine. The name corresponds to the male equivalent, a canon. The origin and Rule are common to both. As with the ca ...

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 Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

, as people are able to know it from the Abbey of

Essen Essen (; Latin: ''Assindia'') is the central and, after Dortmund, second-largest city of the Ruhr, the largest urban area in Germany. Its population of makes it the fourth-largest city of North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne, Düsseldorf and Do ...

(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-Fliegerabt ...

in May 1940, in the course of the

Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive ...

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 Marie Josepha Taye (1740- 10 November 1820), Countess van der Noot and Marquise of Assche and Wemmel, was a noble lady from Flanders. She was born as daughter of the Marquess of Wemmel, François Philippe Taye, and Catherine Louise de Cottereau ...

, daughter of the

Marquess of Wemmel The Marquess of Wemmel was a Flemish title in use during the Ancien Régime, Wemmel is a city in Flanders. History The title was created in 1688 for Philip Taye, 1st Marquess of Wemmel captain in the Spanish army. Until 1688 he was Baron of Wem ...

, 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

* Itta of Metz, foundress of the abbey *

, 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 Empero ...

and

Hedwig of France Hedwig of France (c. 970 – after 1013), also called Avoise, Hadevide or Haltude, was Countess of Mons. She was the daughter of Hugh Capet, the first King of France, and his wife, Queen Adelaide of Aquitaine. Family In 996 Hedwig married Regin ...

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