Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: basilica

The Basiliek van onze Lieve Vrouwe - alsdo called Onze Lieve Vrouw "Sterre der Zee" Basiliek - (Basilica of Our Lady) is a Romanesque Catholic church. Probably a Roman temple was built on the same location before the church was built. Most of the present building dates back to the 11th and 12th centuries. The westwork was built in the 11th century, and Gothic vaults in the nave were added in the 13th century. Duringh the French occupation (at the end of the 18th century) the church was used as a stable and a blacksmith shop by the military garrison. It was finally returned to a place of worship in 1837. From 1887 to 1917 the church was thoroughly restored by well-known Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers. He basically removed everything that did not fit his ideal of a Romanesque church. The interior features a couple of mural dasting back to the Middle Ages. The church has a 1652 pipe organ, while the stained glass windows date to the 19th and 20th centuries. Next to the church is a cloistered garden located. Despite the church's beautiful interior, the main attraction of the Basiliek van onze Lieve Vrouwe is without any doubt the miraculous statue of Our Lady, Star of the Sea (PiP2). This 15th-century wooden statue was originally housed in a nearby Franciscan monastery. It was moved to the basilica in 1837. The statue placed in a Gothic chapel near the main entrance where it is visited by hundreds of worshipers daily.

The Basilica della Natività di Maria Santissima (Basilica of the Nativity of Maria Santissima), commonly called “Sanctuary of Vicoforte” is one of the most important churches in Piedmont. The huge complex has its origins in a medieval sanctuary. The story tells that an errant shot by a hunter in the year of 1592 hit a pillar of the Virgin Mary in a shrine that happened to be very important to pilgrims, and he was so repentant that he put down his gun and raised money for the repair of the pillar. In a few years the place became a destination for increasingly frequent pilgrimages. In 1596 Duke Carlo Emanuele I of Savoy who, in 1596, commissioned the construction of a large sanctuary, but was never finished. It was not until 1728 when construction was resumed by architect and engineer Filippo Juvarra. Above the Mannerist sandstone base, the drum was quickly built, and the dome, which was finished in 1732. The basilica has - with more than 6.000 square meters - the largest elliptical cupola in the world, which has major and minor diameters of 36 and 25 meters. The fresco decorations were completed in 1752. During our visit to Vicoforte, the basilica was closed. Unfortunately, we could only see (and photograph) the dome through a gate.

The Basiliek van de H.H. Wiro, Plechelmus en Otgerus in Romanesque style - standing on top of the Sint Petrusberg on the outskirts of the village - is an impressive sight. Its history goes back to the first half of the 8th century, when three Anglo-Saxon priests founded a monastery here. In the 9th century this monastery became a refuge for the chapter of the cathedral in Utrecht; they stayed here until 1361. After a century of decay the former monastery became a convent. The church was handed to the parish in 1680. The original church was a one-aisled building with a westwork and a narrower choir. Of that building nothing remains above the ground. A new nave was built in the 11th century, followed by transept, choir and towers in the 12th century. The current look of the church however is in many ways the result of a restoration by the famous Dutch architect P.J.H. Cuypers from 1880 until 1883. He restored the church according to his own ideas, which usually meant reconstruction, leading to the loss of historical value. In this particular case, parts that had vanished long ago, like the side-aisles, the southern tower and the two choirs on the transept-arms, were rebuilt. Older parts were often replaced by new ones. Of the original building little was left. World War II worsened the situation even more. On January 26th of 1945 German troops needlessly destroyed the church. After the war the church was almost completely rebuilt.

It is said that already in 1071 a chapel have stood on the place of the present basilica. In 1240 the chapel was converted into a spacious church dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The earliest official mention of a church in Gößweinstein however can be found in 1308 in the will of Gottfried von Schlüsselberg. The Schlüsselberg family is considered to be the founder of the first church, which became a pilgrimage church. The medieval church – although expanded several times - was soon unable to cope with the many pilgrims. A new and much bigger church was built (1730 – 1739) during the reign of Prince-Bishop Friedrich Carl von Schönborn of Bamberg by the famous architect and builder Balthasar Neumann. He designed the floor plan, a Latin cross, and created what has come to be considered a baroque masterpiece. The magnificent art depicting biblical stories on the walls and ceiling inside the church was not complete until 1768 and it is quite breathtaking. There are also several highly decorated altars around the church. The basilica is one of the most important pilgrimage churches in Germany. Especially in the spring and fall of each year, thousands of religious pilgrims come to the basilica to pray before the Gnadenbild , the basilica’s Statue of Mercy. The church was elevated to a Basilica minor in 1948 by Pope Pius XII.

The Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery - a Benedictine monastery about 1000 years old - is situated half way up the mountains of the Montserrat Natural Park; a mountain range with weird shaped peaks of more than 1200 meters high. The impressive basilica is by far the most interesting of the many buildings. Within the church is the chapel with the 12th century figure of Our Lady of Montserrat - known as la Moreneta (“little dark-skinned one”) - the patron saint of Catalonia. The Basilica was greatly damaged during the war with the French (1808-1814) and could not be reconstructed until the end of the 19th century. Picture: main altar of the Basilica

The Santa Maria de Montserrat Monastery - a Benedictine monastery about 1000 years old - is situated half way up the mountains of the Montserrat Natural Park; a mountain range with weird shaped peaks of more than 1200 meters high. The impressive basilica is by far the most interesting of the many buildings. Within the church is the chapel with the 12th century figure of Our Lady of Montserrat - known as la Moreneta (“little dark-skinned one”) - the patron saint of Catalonia. The Basilica was greatly damaged during the war with the French (1808-1814) and could not be reconstructed until the end of the 19th century. Picture: sculptures of Jesus Christ and the 12 Apostles on the façade of the Basilica