Basilica Of Our Lady, Tongeren
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The Basilica of Our Lady (, ), also called Old Cathedral of Tongeren, is the main place of Catholic worship in
Tongeren Tongeren (; ; ; ) is a city and former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the only Roman administrative capital wit ...
, Belgium, and the former cathedral of the suppressed diocese of Tongeren.


History

Archaeological excavations found some of the richest archaeological finds of
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
, including wooden houses from the 1st century. The excavations have also shown the presence of a construction area already present in the 4th century and a
Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century until Pepin the Short in 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the ...
church predating a
Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
house of prayer from the 9th century. The construction of the present church choir began in 1240. The basilica was built in the
Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...
, according to the local interpretation of the
Brabantine Gothic Brabantine Gothic, occasionally called Brabantian Gothic, is a significant variant of Gothic architecture that is typical for the Low Countries. It surfaced in the first half of the 14th century at St. Rumbold's Cathedral in the city of Mechele ...
, in the 13th century. The nave, transept and side chapels were added between the 13th and 15th centuries. The original Romanesque bell tower was replaced by the current Gothic tower, measuring 64 meters high, built between 1442 and 1541. The interior of the basilica houses the image of Our Lady of Tongeren, dating from 1475. The treasure is in the old chapter and includes one of the richest collections of Catholic religious art in Belgium. In 1931, the church was raised to the rank of basilica."Basilica of our Lady", Tongeren Toerisme
/ref> In 1999, the
belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...
of the basilica was inscribed on the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
as a part of the
Belfries of Belgium and France The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) Belfry (architecture), belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of ...
site, as testimony to its importance in civic (rather than religious) functions (like its role as a watch-tower) and its Gothic architecture.


See also

*
Roman Catholicism in Belgium The Belgian Catholic Church, also known as the Catholic Church in Belgium, is part of the global Catholic Church and is under the spiritual leadership of the Pope, the curia in Rome and the Episcopal Conference of Bishops. Dioceses There a ...


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Our Lady Cathedral, Church Roman Catholic cathedrals in Belgium Buildings and structures in Tongeren Basilica churches in Belgium