Waalse kerk

Waalse kerk

The Walloon church, also called French Church, is a church in sober baroque style in the historic center of Maastricht in the Dutch province of Limburg. The church is located on Sint-Pietersstraat in the Jekerkwartier, opposite the Oude Minderbroederskerk.

History

After the conquest of Maastricht by Frederik Hendrik Maastricht exerted a certain attraction to Walloon supporters of Calvinism, who fled the Catholic Bishopric of Liège. Under the terms of capitulation in 1632 the French Protestants were openly profess their faith in Maastricht and were therefore provided with the Hilariuskapel, a former district chapel of the Parish of Our Lady. After the Betrayal of Maastricht (1638), the Walloon Church (Église wallonne reformée) moved to the Jesuit Church. When the Jesuits were allowed to return in the city during the French occupation (1673-1678), the Walloon municipality first moved to St. Catherine's Chapel on the Boschstraat and in 1680 returned to the Chapel Hilary.

In 1685, the Protestants in France lost their rights by the Edict of Fontainebleau, leaving tens of thousands of Huguenots fleeing to the Calvinist Republic of the Seven United States of the Netherlands. The Maastricht Walloon municipality grew strongly, making the Hilariuskapel too small. The medieval chapel was enlarged in 1686 (or replaced by a new church). The new chapel was demolished in 1732, though again to make way for the present church, designed by the architect Nicolas Comhaire from Liege. The new church was built partly over the Jeker river. The construction period was 22 months. The inauguration took place on December 6, 1733.

Over the 19th century, the number of French-speaking Calvinists in Maastricht diminshed. The majority of the congregation consisted of soldiers from the garrison in Maastricht. Furthermore, many Dutch Protestants attended services, because it was regarded chique among the more Frenchified elite. Since 1971, the parish has no minister anymore. The monthly services are led by Belgian ministers.

In 1984 a major restoration took place. The interior of the church has changed over the years several times. The church building is a national monument since 1966 and is still largely in its original state. For regular maintenance, each year 90 % subsidy provided by the government and the Province.

Description

The building has a floor plan of a dodecagonal central building, but actually consists of a rectangular nave, flanked by two five-sided expansion. On the front is a square tower crowned by a storm washers with onion-shaped tower helmet. On the Tafelstraat is a low building with a gate segment arch of Namur stone. Behind it is a timbered part.

The central church area is covered by a stucgewelf with decoration a Huguenot Cross. On the side walls of the church hall are in ornate gold lettering some French biblical texts, taken from an old French Bible (1743).

The protected monument status includes the church building itself and also parts of the interior: the pulpit in Louis XIV style, the gentlemen's bench in Louis XV style and the organ. In 1743 Thomas Weidtman from Ratingen produced a new pipe organ, which was made use of an existing organ case from 1664. It is a éénmanuaalsorgel with attached pedal. The disposition by eleven voices is of a rare beauty and is considered one of the finest baroque instruments in the country. The organ is in 1964 restored by the brothers Van Vulpen of Utrecht and it restored to its original state.

See: wikipedia