Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg: history, photos and interesting facts

Cathedral of Luxembourg Our Lady, the same Notre-Dame Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic church in the Grand Duchy. Its founders are the Jesuits, who first built their college in this city, and then decided to acquire a temple. In 1613, they laid the foundation stone, and 10 years later the church was consecrated and opened.

Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg: the history of construction

The construction was carried out by the architect Jean du Block. For 150 years after the construction of the years, the Jesuit Order visited the church and prayed here. But in the mid-1700s the influence of brotherhood on the economy and politics of Europe began to cause fear. Therefore, representatives of society were expelled from the territory of the European state.

In 1773, the temple is presented with a miraculous image, called "The Virgin Consoler." Actually, it was the reason that the churches gave the name of the Luxembourgian Mother of God. But this happened only in 1848. First it was called the church of St. Nicholas and St. Theresa, as in 1778 Maria Theresa (Austrian Empress) gives Notre-Dame to the city, thanks to which the church becomes a parish. Well, the title of the cathedral was appropriated to him only in 1870. This was done by Pope Pius IX himself after he had consecrated him.

Architectural style: a meeting of two epochs

The Cathedral of the Luxembourg Our Lady (Luxembourg) is the brightest example of late Gothic architecture, in which there are also many elements of Renaissance architecture - the Renaissance. Thanks to this unusual confluence, the building looks especially charming. This is a rare example of a late Gothic church with elements of the Renaissance not only in Europe, but all over the world.

Exterior and interior: a description of the Luxembourgian Notre Dame

Inside and outside the cathedral of the Luxembourg Our Lady looks very impressive. In it, Gothic austerity is softened by elements of the Renaissance. And they complete the general picture of Moorish-style decorations used for the arrangement of rich choirs. The church is crowned with three towers, two of which were erected during a period of large-scale reconstruction (1935-1938) - this is the eastern and central. The Western one has existed since the foundation of the cathedral. It was still part of the Jesuit church. Then and now it plays the role of the tower-bell tower.

Outside, Gothic can be seen in everything: the manner of construction, and arched narrow windows, and individual decorative elements. When you look at him from the street, it seems that the temple is small. But this opinion is changing, it is only necessary to get inside. Parishioners expect spacious rooms with vaulted ceilings. Luxurious interior decoration deserves special attention. The cathedral of the Luxembourg Our Lady seemed to have moved from the Middle Ages for a short time. It seems that just about in the big halls knights will enter, accompanied by beautiful ladies. Here you can see the impressive sizes of a column with arabesque, a lot of various sculptures, a confessional in neo-gothic execution. Brightness is supplemented by beautiful stained-glass windows depicting biblical scenes.

The image of the Virgin Mary, mentioned above, is in the southern room. This is the object of pilgrimage. It is with the goal of seeing it every year there is a huge number of traveling worshipers. It is worth paying attention to the ornate choruses and the painting of the central nave. Also, there are underground rooms with a vaulted ceiling that are designed to honor the relics of saints and burial, in other words, the crypt. It houses the remains of Luxembourgish dukes, and at the entrance you can see huge bronze lions performing the role of a kind of guard. Also in this room is the sarcophagus of the Count of Luxembourg and the King of Bohemia John the Blind.

Cathedral of the Luxembourg Our Lady: interesting facts

The temple is almost 400 years old. All this time he conscientiously performs his direct "duties". This is perhaps the main fact, because such churches can be met infrequently. The most important is this feature in the historical plan, because the temple experienced changes and important state events together with the city. It was visited by more than one hundred generations: the walls still store the memory of all the once present people here.

It will also be interesting to learn that the cathedral is a holy place for pilgrimage of Roman Catholics who come to the image of the Mother of God in order to enlist its support and ask for protection. Every fifth Sunday from the day of Easter, the image of Our Lady is carried through the city. It is noteworthy that the route followed by people has been preserved since the Middle Ages.

Address of the Cathedral

The temple is located at 4 Place de Clairefontaine, Luxembourg. The cathedral works every day. The entrance, like all other churches, is free. The Cathedral of Our Lady of Luxembourg, whose photo was presented in this article, is one of the main attractions of a small but beautiful and such an unusual state. Visit it - "plan A" for every tourist, because only here you can see the beautiful fusion of two eras and enjoy the solemn, enchanting sounds of the organs.