Notre Dame Cathedral, also known as Notre Dame Cathedral , is a Roman Catholic church in the Grand Duchy. Its founders are 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: a history of construction
The construction was carried out by the architect Jean du Block. For the next 150 years after the construction, the Jesuit order visited the church and prayed here. But in the mid-1700s, the influence of the fraternity on the economy and politics of Europe began to cause concern. Therefore, representatives of society were expelled from the territory of the European state.
In 1773, a miraculous image was given to the temple, called the “Comforter Virgin”. Actually, he became the reason that the church gave the name of the Virgin of Luxembourg. But this only happened in 1848. At first it was called the Church of St. Nicholas and St. Theresa, since in 1778, Maria Theresa (Austrian Empress) gives Notre Dame to the city, so the church becomes a parish. Well, the title of the cathedral was assigned to him only in 1870. Pope Pius IX himself did this after he consecrated it.
Architectural style: a meeting of two eras
Notre Dame Cathedral (Luxembourg) is the clearest example of late Gothic architecture, in which there are also many elements of Renaissance architecture. Thanks to such an unusual merger, the building looks especially charming. This is a rare example of a late Gothic temple with elements of the Renaissance, not only in Europe but throughout the world.
Appearance and interior: a description of Luxembourg Notre Dame
Inside and out, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg looks very impressive. In it, Gothic rigor is softened by elements of the Renaissance. And complete the overall picture of the decoration in the Moorish style, used in the arrangement of rich choirs. The temple is crowned with three towers, two of which were erected during the period of large-scale reconstruction (1935-1938) - this is the eastern and central. Western exists since the foundation of the cathedral. She was still part of the Jesuit church. Then and now it plays the role of a bell tower.
Outside, Gothic can be seen throughout: the manner of construction, and arched narrow windows, and individual decorative elements. When you look at him from the street, it seems that the temple is small. But this opinion is changing, you just have to get inside. Parishioners expect spacious rooms with vaulted ceilings. The luxurious interior deserves special attention. Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg as if 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 the impressive size of the column with an arabesque, a variety of sculptures, a confessional neo-Gothic. Beautiful stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes add brightness to all this.
The image of the Virgin Mary, which was mentioned above, is in the southern room. This is an object of pilgrimage. It is in order to see him every year that there is a huge number of traveling pilgrims. It is worth paying attention to the richly decorated choirs and paintings of the central nave. There are also underground rooms with a vaulted ceiling, which are designed to honor the relics of saints and burials, in other words, the crypt. The remains of Luxembourgish dukes rest in it, and at the entrance you can see huge bronze lions, playing the role of a kind of protection. Also in this room is the sarcophagus of Count of Luxembourg and Bohemian King John the Blind.
Notre Dame Cathedral: interesting facts
The temple is almost 400 years old. All this time he faithfully fulfills his direct "duties." This is perhaps the main fact, because such churches can be found infrequently. This feature is most important in historical terms, because the temple experienced changes and important state events along with the city. It has been visited by more than one hundred 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 for the pilgrimage of Roman Catholics who come to the image of the Mother of God in order to enlist her support and ask for patronage. Every fifth Sunday from Easter, the image of the Mother of God is carried around 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, whose photo was presented in this article, is one of the main attractions of a small but beautiful and such an unusual state. To visit it is a “plan A” for every tourist, because only here you can see the wonderful fusion of the two eras and enjoy the solemn, bewitching sounds of the organs.