Luxembourg Cathedral - cathedrals of the world - LiveJournal. Notre Dame Cathedral Architectural style: a meeting of two eras

Luxembourg Cathedral nat_ka wrote in December 2nd, 2010

Luxembourg may not be as wildly popular with tourists as neighboring France or Germany, but it has its own unique charm. If you still doubt this, look at the writing on the wall: the national motto can be seen inscribed everywhere - "Mir welle bleiwe wat mir sin" - "We want to remain as we are."

Cathedral

Built in the 17th century in the late Gothic style, the cathedral has been a cathedral since 1870. It contains a particularly revered image of Our Lady “Comforter of the Sorrowful,” the patroness of the city. A mass pilgrimage is organized to this image in the third and fourth weeks after Easter. The Mother of God is located in the altar area, surrounded by many candles. To the right and left of the altar are mosaic images of saints, the columns are decorated with Moorish patterns - a delight to the eye.

Below the cathedral there is a crypt with the tomb of the Grand Dukes. First you are greeted by a statue of a saint radiating sadness,

behind it is the sarcophagus-tomb of the King of Bohemia and Count of Luxembourg John the Blind, surrounded by painted statues.

The crypt is very simple in decoration: massive columns without decorations, bright stained glass windows, several sharp-smelling bouquets with lilies, wooden benches. On one of the walls is another image of the Mother of God.

The entrance to the tomb is guarded by two strict lions.

Entry is, of course, prohibited, but you can still look through the bars. The pearl-colored walls (as I call the lilac-silver shade) are decorated with golden ducal crowns, there is only one sarcophagus at the far wall, probably all the other family members are buried in the walls - there are plaques on them.

I involuntarily compare all the many tombs of rulers we saw with the tomb of the Habsburgs in the Kapuzinerskirche (Vienna) - it made a very strong impression on us. So, perhaps, now the tomb of the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg ranks first in terms of overall elegance. And, although the hair here does not stand on end with horror, as in the already mentioned tomb, there is no desire to have fun here at all - either the color of the walls, or the general silence and simplicity, or the sad faces of the lions guarding the eternal peace of the owners...

Cathedral opening hours: 9.15-18.15, Sat 9.15-18.30, Sun 9-10.30, 12-18. Crypt until 17.30, weekends until 18.00.

Next to the cathedral, in the building of the former Jesuit College (Jesuitenkolleg), a Renaissance palace with three wings, the National Library is located. And on the opposite side stands the old Refugium of the Trier Abbey of St. Maximina. This powerful natural stone building, erected in 1751, today serves as the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And behind it lies the cozy Place Clairefontaine, decorated with an extremely lyrical statue of the Grand Duchess Charlotte.

I don’t know why, while walking around Luxembourg, from time to time I was drawn to make some kind of regular rating - but the tomb of the dukes was in first place, but the monument to Duchess Charlotte confidently entered the top three most beautiful and spiritual women’s monuments - along with Margaret of Austria in Mechelen and Lesya Ukrainka in Kyiv.

And in the quiet courtyard behind the cathedral there is a mysterious bell - in honor of what it was installed here, and what it became famous for, it was not possible to find out...

Notre Dame is a Roman Catholic church in the Grand Duchy. Its founders are considered to be the Jesuits, who first built their college in this city and then decided to acquire a temple. In 1613 they laid the first stone, and 10 years later the church was consecrated and opened.

Notre Dame Cathedral: history of construction

The construction was carried out by the architect Jean du Block. Over the next 150 years after its construction, he visited the church and prayed here. But in the mid-1700s, the brotherhood's influence on the economics and politics of Europe began to raise concerns. Therefore, representatives of society were expelled from the territory of a European state.

In 1773, the temple was given a miraculous image called the “Virgin Comforter”. In fact, he was the reason why the church was given the name of Our Lady of Luxembourg. But this happened only in 1848. At first it was called the Church of St. Nicholas and St. Theresa, since in 1778 (the Austrian Empress) donated Notre Dame to the city, thanks to which the temple became a parish church. Well, the title of cathedral was awarded to it only in 1870. This was done by Pope Pius IX himself after he consecrated it.

Architectural style: a meeting of two eras

Notre Dame Cathedral (Luxembourg) is the clearest example of late Gothic architecture, which also contains many elements of Renaissance architecture. Thanks to this unusual merger, the building looks especially charming. This is the rarest example of a late Gothic temple with Renaissance elements not only in Europe, but throughout the world.

Exterior and interior: description of Luxembourg Notre Dame

Inside and outside, Notre Dame Cathedral looks quite impressive. In it, Gothic severity is softened by elements of the Renaissance. And the overall picture is completed by the decorations used in the arrangement of the rich choirs. The temple is topped with three towers, two of which were erected during a period of large-scale reconstruction (1935-1938) - the eastern and central ones. The Western one has existed since the founding of the cathedral. She was still part of the Jesuit Church. Then and now it plays the role of a bell tower.

From the outside, Gothic style is visible in everything: the style of construction, the narrow arched windows, and individual decorative elements. When you look at it from the street, it seems that the temple is small. But this opinion changes once you get inside. Parishioners can expect spacious rooms with vaulted ceilings. The luxurious interior decoration deserves special attention. Notre Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg seems to have briefly moved from the Middle Ages. It seems that knights, accompanied by beautiful ladies, are about to enter the large halls. Here you can see impressively sized columns with arabesques, many different sculptures, and a neo-Gothic confessional. The brightness of it all is added by beautiful stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes.

The image of the Virgin Mary mentioned above is in the southern room. This is an object of pilgrimage. It is precisely for the purpose of seeing him that a huge number of traveling pilgrims come here every year. It is worth paying attention to the richly decorated choir and paintings of the central nave. There are also underground rooms with a vaulted ceiling, which are intended for veneration of the relics of saints and burial, in other words, a crypt. The remains of the Dukes of Luxembourg rest in it, and at the entrance you can see huge bronze lions, acting as a kind of guard. Also in this room is the sarcophagus of the Count of Luxembourg and King of Bohemia John the Blind.

Notre Dame Cathedral: interesting facts

The temple is almost 400 years old. All this time, he conscientiously fulfills his direct “responsibilities.” This is perhaps the main fact, because such churches are rarely found. This feature is most important historically, because the temple experienced changes and important state events along with the city. It has been visited by hundreds of generations: the walls still preserve the memory of all the people who were once present here.

It will also be interesting to know that the cathedral is a holy place of pilgrimage for Roman Catholics, who come to the image of the Mother of God in order to enlist her support and ask for protection. Every fifth Sunday since Easter, the image of the Mother of God is carried through the city. It is noteworthy that the route that people follow has been preserved since the Middle Ages.

Cathedral address

The temple is located at 4 Place de Clairefontaine, Luxembourg. The cathedral is open every day. Entrance, like all other churches, is free. Notre Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg, the photo of which was presented in this article, is one of the main attractions of a small but beautiful and such an unusual state. Visiting it is “Plan A” for every tourist, because only here you can see the wonderful fusion of two eras and enjoy the solemn, enchanting sounds of organs.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg is located in the south of the small and cozy city of Luxembourg - the capital of the state of the same name. The cathedral was built at the beginning of the 17th century and was used as a church for the Jesuits. Due to the fact that the building was erected at the intersection of two eras, the cathedral has features and details of both strict Gothic style and soft Renaissance architecture.

The interweaving of two historical milestones gave the cathedral an amazing variety of architectural elements, including powerful arches, magnificent sculptures and grandiose tomb crypts made in the Moorish style.

Today, Notre Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg is a place of prayer, confession and pilgrimage for Roman Catholics. The main object of pilgrimage since the 18th century is the image of the Mother of God - the Comforter of the Sorrowful.

Notre Dame Cathedral of Our Lady

Cathedral of Notre-Dame of St. Our Lady is a Roman Catholic cathedral in southern Luxembourg. The building with Renaissance and late Gothic elements was erected in 1613-1621 according to the design of the architect Du Block. The cathedral went through many changes, first in the 17th century it was the Collegiate Church of the Jesuits, then - St. Teresa, and only in 1870 the temple received its current name - the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of Luxembourg.

Notre Dame Cathedral is located on the main square of Luxembourg, in the southern part of the city. The cathedral is famous for the image of the patroness of the city - the Holy Virgin of Luxembourg, which receives pilgrims from all over the world on Easter. The statue of the “Comforter of the Sorrowful” is carried along the route established in the 12th century, where it is placed on the altar near the temple. The interior decoration of the church is amazing, especially the Moorish-style choir, bronze lions and tapestries that decorate the entrance to the crypt-tomb of the Grand Dukes. The three majestic towers of the Church of the Holy Mother of God are the symbol of the city. The cathedral is open daily.

Notre Dame Cathedral, or Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Luxembourg. In 1603, a Jesuit college was opened in Luxembourg, and soon the order decided to build its own church in the city. So, in 1613, the first stone was laid in the foundation of the future Jesuit temple, which later became the Cathedral of Notre Dame. The ceremonial consecration of the church took place in 1623.

By the mid-18th century, the political and economic influence of the Jesuit order began to cause serious concern in the royal houses of Europe. The intrigues that followed, the main goal of which was to neutralize the influence of the order, resulted in mass persecution of its members. In 1773, Pope Clement XIV was forced to abolish the order, which for more than two centuries had been a reliable support of the papacy and the main force of the Counter-Reformation. The Jesuits were expelled, including from Luxembourg, and already in 1778, the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa donated a Jesuit temple to the city, and it became the new parish church and was called the “Church of St. Nicholas and St. Theresa.” The church received the name Notre-Dame in March 1848. In 1870, in accordance with the decision of Pope Pius IX, Luxembourg became a diocese, and the Church of Notre Dame received the status of a cathedral.

Luxembourg's Notre-Dame Cathedral is a very impressive structure, built in the late Gothic style with generous additions of architectural elements and decorations characteristic of the Renaissance. Such an unusual combination of two very different styles undoubtedly gives the building a special charm. The cathedral is crowned by three towers - the western bell tower was part of the Jesuit temple, and the eastern and central ones were added during a large-scale reconstruction of 1935-1938.

The luxurious interior of the cathedral undoubtedly deserves special attention - impressive columns decorated with arabesques, numerous sculptures, colorful stained glass windows, a neo-Gothic confessional, etc. The main relic of the cathedral is the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary, the Comforter of the Sorrowful, whom Luxembourgers reverence as their patroness.

In the crypt of the cathedral, the entrance to which is “guarded” by two bronze lions by Auguste Tremont, rests the remains of the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg.

Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg (Luxembourg) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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An amazingly beautiful and elegant late-Gothic temple with elements of the Renaissance style is a rare example of religious architecture for Luxembourg, and for the whole of Europe, combining two historical milestones at once.

Notre Dame Cathedral of Luxembourg, which was given its present name only in 1848, was built by the Jesuit order in 1613–1621. But the brotherhood did not enjoy the beautiful temple for long: after about 150 years, namely in 1773, the order was expelled from the country, and the church was presented with a miraculous image of the patroness of Luxembourg - the Virgin Comforter.

It was in her honor that the Cathedral of the Holy Virgin received its modern name, as well as its episcopal see.

Located in the south of the capital, the cathedral attracts attention with its 19th century interiors: the Neo-Gothic style, popular in those years, prevails here. Pay attention to the tomb of the rulers of Luxembourg, as well as the sarcophagus of King John the Blind of Bohemia.

Pay attention to the tomb of the rulers of Luxembourg, as well as the sarcophagus of King John the Blind of Bohemia.

The exterior of the temple is worth talking about separately. As mentioned above, built at the border of two styles - Gothic and Renaissance - it can boast of both the features of Gothic severity and the softness of the Renaissance. For example, powerful choirs and majestic sculptures coexist here, as well as magnificently decorated tomb crypts made in the Moorish style.

What’s especially nice is that the cathedral is still operational and belongs to the Catholic Church, so there are always a lot of pilgrims from Rome and other countries here. You can admire the living church, where a spark of faith glimmers, where prayers are whispered and where people come to confession, every day (it is better to plan a visit before or after the mass, so as not to disturb the parishioners).

Every 3rd, 4th and 5th Sunday after Easter, thousands of pilgrims from all over the Old World flock to the cathedral to venerate the patroness of Luxembourg - the Holy Virgin Consoler.

Address: Uewerstad, Luxemburg City.