St. Mary's Church, also called Mariakerk or Maria Maior, was one of five collegiate churches in the Dutch city of

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

, the others being St. Martin's Cathedral, St. Salvator's Church, the Pieterskerk, and the Janskerk. It dated from the eleventh century and was considered one of the finest buildings in Romanesque style in the Netherlands. The church was demolished in stages during the first half of the nineteenth century. Today only the cloister at the Mariaplaats remains, behind the Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen which houses the Utrecht Conservatory.

History

St. Mary's Church was said to be founded jointly by Henry IV and

Conrad, Bishop of Utrecht Conrad was bishop of Utrecht between 1076 and 1099. Before becoming bishop he was chamberlain of Archbishop Anno II of Cologne and, for a time, tutor of Prince Henry, the future Emperor Henry IV. When the excommunicated Bishop William of Utr ...

as the western culmination of the kerkenkruis of Utrecht. Conrad was a loyal supporter of Henry IV during the

Investiture Crisis The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops ( investiture), abbots of monasteries, and the Pope himself. A series ...

. He accompanied him during his expedition in Italy in 1083 and was present at his coronation as emperor in 1084. The church was located further west in the kerkenkruis because the location in the immediate west of the Traiectum was already occupied by business district Stathe, and the

Buurkerk The Buurkerk is a former church building in Utrecht (city), Netherlands on the Buurkerkhof. The building is the location of the Museum Speelklok, and the entrance is on the Steenweg. It is one of the medieval parish churches of Utrecht, along with ...

. From 1085 onward Conrad spend more time in Utrecht, and it is postulated that the construction of St. Mary's Church started around this time. The church was built to resemble the

Speyer Cathedral Speyer Cathedral, officially ''the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen'', in Latin: Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae (German: ''Dom zu Unserer lieben Frau in Speyer'') in Speyer, Germany, is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bish ...

in mind as an example, which served as the most eminent church of Henry IV, and which was the burial church of the

Salian dynasty The Salian dynasty or Salic dynasty () was a dynasty in the High Middle Ages. The dynasty provided four kings of Germany (1024–1125), all of whom went on to be crowned Holy Roman emperors (1027–1125). After the death of the last Ottonia ...

. As such St. Mary's Church became a symbol of the emperor. In 1099 the construction of the St. Mary's Church had advanced to a point that the choir could be inaugurated. In the same year however, Conrad was murdered, and the construction came to a standstill. Only after an episode in 1133, when

Floris the Black Floris the Black was a son of Floris II, Count of Holland and Petronilla of Lorraine. He became a rebel count of Holland in the 1120s and 1130s, against the claim of his brother Dirk. Floris openly revolted against his brother Dirk and was from 1 ...

entrenched himself in St. Mary's Church during his raids of the diocese, construction was resumed, albeit under a different plan: the nave and the west side were performed in Lombard style, which gave St. Mary's Church a remarkable Italian appearance, unlike anything found north of the Alps. Around 1160 two towers were added next to the

westwork A westwork (), forepart, avant-corps or avancorpo is the monumental, west-facing entrance section ("west front") of a Carolingian, Ottonian, or Romanesque church. The exterior consists of multiple stories between two towers. The interior inc ...

. At this point, St. Mary's Church had a very grand, monumental stature. Unlike the other Romanesque churches in Utrecht, it had two further

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s, was entirely vaulted in stone and additionally had stands above the aisles. St Mary's Basilica was linked to a chapter of thirty canons. In 1421 the relatively modest Romanesque choir was replaced by a much larger Gothic choir. The windows in the west wall were also modernized. A picture of Emperor Henry was placed. In 1528 the painter

Jan van Scorel Jan van Scorel (1 August 1495 – 6 December 1562) was a Dutch painter, who played a leading role in introducing aspects of Italian Renaissance painting into Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting. He was one of the early painters of the Roman ...

became canon of St. Mary's Church; among other things he designed a

rood screen The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...

and some stained glass windows. After his death he was buried in St. Mary's Church, his tomb becoming the first elaborately decorated grave ever to be given to an artist in the Netherlands. The church' decline began during the siege of Vredenburg in 1576, when the north tower was destroyed by cannon fire. After the Reformation, the church was taken in use by the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

and the choir was re-purposed to serve as an exhibition space. In 1682 the remaining tower was demolished followed by the demolition of the entire west side in 1715. The lifting of the chapter in 1811 eventually led to the destruction of the church. Emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

ordered the demolition of the church in 1813 for the proceeds from the sale of materials. The demolition was complete by 1816 leaving only the Gothic choir, which had served as a concert hall since 1764. This too was finally demolished in 1844, making way for the new Gebouw voor Kunsten en Wetenschappen.

Cloister

The cloister of St. Mary's Church was spared because at the time of the demolition of the church it resided on the territory of the

Old Catholic Church The terms Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics, Old-Catholic churches, or Old Catholic movement, designate "any of the groups of Western Christians who believe themselves to maintain in complete loyalty the doctrine and traditions of the undiv ...

. Of the three arms is the western arm is the oldest, originating in the eleventh century. The other arms arose around 1140. During later repairs of the cloister, the original tuff walls were replaced by brick. The columns and capitals are sandstone. The westarm was rebuilt in 1633. Restorations took place during the early twentieth century.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Utrecht Churches in Utrecht (city) History of Utrecht (city) Demolished buildings and structures in the Netherlands Buildings and structures demolished in 1844