Martinuskerk

Weert, Netherlands

The first written reference to St. Martin's church in Weert dates from 1056. The current building originates from 1456. The construction of tower was started in 1528, but was completed much more later. The church was restored and altered in 1906 by architect Pierre Cuypers.

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Address

Oud Kerkhof 8, Weert, Netherlands
See all sites in Weert

Details

Founded: 1456
Category: Religious sites in Netherlands

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

johan ver (20 months ago)
Hele mooie kerk
Dutchy Baroud (20 months ago)
Nice Monument. The Heart of Weert. Timeless
Mihails Netesovs (2 years ago)
Being a disciple of another church, I found the church a quite pleasant place to be. It is not a tourist attraction like in Haarlem, but a real active church. The bishop knows also the English language and it was nice to communicate with him.
Maarten Paraat (2 years ago)
Verrassende kerk met veel hoekjes en ornamenten. Mooie plafondschildering. Mooi doopvont.
Miel - (2 years ago)
GODVERDOMME wat een lelijk ding. Elke keer als ik een Weert kom moet ik gewoon kotsen van deze lelijke kut toren, en dan moet ik de WC op de MacDonald's gebruiken om dat op te ruimen, ook geen pretje... De pastoor is zo'n smerige oude vetlap die alleen achter kontjes aan zit en buiten staan allemaal van die vettige zwervers te smeken om geld. Ik dacht, ik geef ze het voordeel van de twijfel dus ik woonde een mis bij. Echt mijn slechtste ervaring ooit. Pastoor was de hele tijd aan het schelden en dat kut kinderkoor kon er ook helemaal niks van. Kortom, zoek maar gewoon een kapelletje in Ospel op!
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Hagios Demetrios

The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.

The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named Leontios replaced the small oratory with a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634. This was the surviving form of the church much as it is today. The most important shrine in the city, it was probably larger than the local cathedral. The historic location of the latter is now unknown.

The church had an unusual shrine called the ciborium, a hexagonal, roofed structure at one side of the nave. It was made of or covered with silver. The structure had doors and inside was a couch or bed. Unusually, it did not hold any physical relics of the saint. The ciborium seems to have been a symbolic tomb. It was rebuilt at least once.

The basilica is famous for six extant mosaic panels, dated to the period between the latest reconstruction and the inauguration of the Byzantine Iconoclasm in 730. These mosaics depict St. Demetrius with officials responsible for the restoration of the church (called the founders, ktetors) and with children. An inscription below one of the images glorifies heaven for saving the people of Thessalonica from a pagan Slavic raid in 615.

Thessaloniki became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1430. About 60 years later, during the reign of Bayezid II, the church was converted into a mosque, known as the Kasımiye Camii after the local Ottoman mayor, Cezeri Kasım Pasha. The symbolic tomb however was kept open for Christian veneration. Other magnificent mosaics, recorded as covering the church interior, were lost either during the four centuries when it functioned as a mosque (1493–1912) or in the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 that destroyed much of the city. It also destroyed the roof and upper walls of the church. Black-and-white photographs and good watercolour versions give an idea of the early Byzantine craftsmanship lost during the fire.

Following the Great Fire of 1917, it took decades to restore the church. Tombstones from the city"s Jewish cemetery - destroyed by the Greek and Nazi German authorities - were used as building materials in these restoration efforts in the 1940s. Archeological excavations conducted in the 1930s and 1940s revealed interesting artifacts that may be seen in a museum situated inside the church"s crypt. The excavations also uncovered the ruins of a Roman bath, where St. Demetrius was said to have been held prisoner and executed. A Roman well was also discovered. Scholars believe this is where soldiers dropped the body of St. Demetrius after his execution. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949.

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