Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church, Mons, Belgium

Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church dates back to 1450, and the origin of the famous chapter of noble canonesses that seated for centuries inside this church. The chapter played an important part in the local history, all of the Canonesse were familymembers of important noble houses. Antoine-Joseph Fetis, titular organist, taught his eldest son François-Joseph the first steps of the practice of organ music.

Inside the church important graves can be found amongst them Antoine de Carondelet and Alice of Namur.

The exterior of the church is a fine example of Brabant Gothic architecture, parts are built by Matheus de Layens. However in the 17th century the works stopped and the building was never completely finished. The interior contains important artworks, including sculptures by Jacques du Broeucq and paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Floris de Vriendt, Theodoor van Thulden, Otto Venius and Michiel Coxie.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in Belgium

User Reviews

Gerard Seghers (4 months ago)
Magnificent gothique church with excellent audio guide in English you can download on your phone...

Harry G.C (7 months ago)
Dear Bryony, I once again write to you on this platform. Did you find your own way here this time? I hope so. We have plans of visiting Belgium someday, and though Brugge is far north of here, I thought you might appreciate the patron of this beautiful church. She is known for freeing captives by paying their ransom out of her own pocket. I know you sometimes worry you'll have to do the same for me. Let's hope not. But if you do, we can expect a church to be erected* off the Kingsland road in your name. I did some Digging and found that a northern renaissance painter called Jan Provoost was born Upon this town. I liked these painting (attached) because Of their striking divergence from what we saw in Florence. Or Maybe they're not all that different and I've forgotten the Orwellian eyes and underworld serpents. I wonder, is it a little suffocating that I'm showing this kind Of interest in your interests? I'd understand if it is. I might be in Paris by the time you read this, in which case I am definitely missing you. Right now you are at a secret live show or back at home in bed. I am chipping away at my paper on sentimentality, thinking of you. I love you dearly. Harry xx P.S. To any passer-by, I hope this old postcard of the church interior will serve as an apology for using this space.

Jens Van Loon (8 months ago)
Beautiful church, early mediaeval/Roman style. Good preserved. No entree fee.

Sébastien Cerles (10 months ago)
From the inside, it is wonderfully pure and slendered. Furthermore, parts of an ancient jubé have been included in the different chapels, which are often magnificent. Note that the visit is free.

Susan Boyd (14 months ago)
I have a love of ancient architecture and this cathedral did not disappoint. The detail in the gargoyles and grotesques are beautiful. Inside in each nave is a painting or fresco, some dating back to the 1300s. The stained glass has not only stations of the cross, but also represents each state/province of the area as well with crests of each in one large window group. It is absolutely beautiful. This is an active church, however, so I would caution non religious visitors to use respect when there. People will be there in prayer or confession, so please keep quiet while here.

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Heraclea Lyncestis

Heraclea Lyncestis was an ancient Greek city in Macedon, ruled later by the Romans. It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

Heraclea was a strategically important town during the Hellenistic period, as it was at the edge of Macedon"s border with Epirus to the west and Paeonia to the north, until the middle of the 2nd century BC, when the Romans conquered Macedon and destroyed its political power. The main Roman road in the area, Via Egnatia went through Heraclea, and Heraclea was an important stop. The prosperity of the city was maintained mainly due to this road.

The Roman emperor Hadrian built a theatre in the center of the town, on a hill, when many buildings in the Roman province of Macedonia were being restored. It began being used during the reign of Antoninus Pius. Inside the theatre there were three animal cages and in the western part a tunnel. The theatre went out of use during the late 4th century AD, when gladiator fights in the Roman Empire were banned, due to the spread of Christianity, the formulation of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the abandonment of, what was then perceived as, pagan rituals and entertainment.

Late Antiquity and Byzantine periods

In the early Byzantine period (4th to 6th centuries AD) Heraclea was an important episcopal centre. A small and a great basilica, the bishop"s residence, and a funerary basilica and the necropolis are some of the remains of this period. Three naves in the Great Basilica are covered with mosaics of very rich floral and figurative iconography; these well preserved mosaics are often regarded as fine examples of the early Christian art period.

The city was sacked by Ostrogoth/Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. When an earthquake struck in 518 AD, the inhabitants of Heraclea gradually abandoned the city. Subsequently, at the eve of the 7th century, the Dragovites, a Slavic tribe pushed down from the north by the Avars, settled in the area. The last coin issue dates from ca. 585, which suggests that the city was finally captured by the Slavs. As result, in place of the deserted city theatre several huts were built.

The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970 and 1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rooms all have mosaic floors. Between the 3rd and 4th rooms there is a hole that led to the eastern entrance of the residence. The hole was purposefully created between the 4th and 6th century.

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