In the centre of Meerssen in Limburg stands the Basilica of the Holy Sacrament, also called the Basilica of Saint Bartholomew. In this location, there has been a small chapel since around 800, built on the orders of Charlemagne (c. 747-814), King of the Franks (768-814), Duke of Bavaria (788-814) and Emperor of the Roman Empire (800-814).
Construction of the church began in 1318, using marlstone, and it has been restored several times since, with extensions added in the 20th century. Major works were carried out between 1936 and 1938, involving architects Josephus Theodorus Joannes (Jos) Cuypers (1861-1949) and Pierre Jean Joseph Michel (Pierre) Cuypers Jr (1891-1982).
The church gained great renown through two miracles:
In 1222, the “Miracle of the Blood” occurred, the oldest miracle in the Netherlands, when blood and water flowed from a broken communion wafer.
-In 1465, a “Miracle of Fire” takes place. The church catches fire. A farmer, who sees this from his field where he is ploughing, goes to the church and rescues the monstrance from the flames. Upon returning to his field, he sees that the entire field has been ploughed and declares that this is the work of heavenly powers.
On 16 June 1938, the church was elevated to the status of a basilica. The authorisation for this came from Pius XI, Pope from 1922-1939, born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (1857-1939). The reason for the granting of the basilica title is based on the church's significance as a pilgrimage site for the Blessed Sacrament.
In the basilica, Mary can be seen several times, such as in the 13th-century Calvary. In the centre of the sanctuary, she stands high by Jesus on the cross, with the Apostle John beside her. In a Marian chapel, an altarpiece from 1907 is dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Furthermore, within the basilica, there is an altarpiece of Our Lady of Meerssen from 1914.
The basilica features numerous stained-glass windows, including those by Joseph Otto Carel (Jos) ten Horn (1894-1956), who was not only a stained-glass artist, painter, and draughtsman, but also a professor.
New stained-glass windows were installed in the period 1950-1956.
The basilica is a national monument and is open daily.
Address: Markt 17a, 6231LR Meerssen.
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