Churches in Maastricht
Another big difference in southern Holland is that there are Catholics! Maastricht has several catholic churches. Most of Holland is Protestant, though less religious today than years past. The first church we viewed on our walking tour of Maastrict is the Onze Lieve Vrouwebasiliek (Basilica of Our Lady) . The oldest parts of this church date back to before 1000 AD and may be built on the foundations of a Roman cathedral. This chapel contains the statue of Our Beloved Lady 'Stella Mare' from around 1500. Glass windows protect the statue. The church is a serene place with beautiful stained glass windows and painted ceiling.
Two other churches we saw were on the Vrijthof square. Sint Janskerk (St John's church) was built mainly in the 12th century. It is the tallest church in town with its 70-m red tower. Right next door is the Sint Servaasbasiliek. The construction on the present church was begun in 950; regular extensions were caried out up to the 15th century. The Berg Portal is decorated with statuettes portraying figures from the old and new testaments and dates back to the 13th century.
posted by Whitney @ 12:37 PM
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