HERITAGE AND TOURISM
Open Churches Days at
Sint-Anna
Hamontweg 112
3680 Aldeneik (Maaseik)
Abbey | 12de eeuw | Romanesque, Gothic | Catholic Church
"This house, cleaned and decorated"
Guided tour
01 June 2024 : 10.00 - 12.00 and 14.00 - 17.0002 June 2024 : 10.00 - 12.00 and 14.00 - 17.00
For centuries, the centuries-old Romanesque-Gothic St Anne's Church in "Oude Eycke" (Aldeneik) was the centre for dozens of generations of villagers. They celebrated worship here in happy, sad and anxious times ... We will try to take you through the constantly changing times.
Price
FreeContact
Coenen Mathieu+32 478 64 25 44
vz@kerkaldeneik.be
Organizers:
Pastoraal eenheidsteam Harlindis & RelindisMore about this church
Description
Just a stone's throw from the Aldeneyck Wine Estate and opposite the stately Aldeneikerhof in the centre of the Maaseiker hamlet of Aldeneik, you can discover a Romanesque-Gothic gem: the little St. Anne's Church. For centuries, the originally abbey church has stood here like a rock on the Meuse, but in the late 19th century it was adorned with a strikingly slender tower.
In the early years of the 8th century, the noble couple Adelhart and Grinara built a monastery here, with the support of the Anglo-Saxon monk Willibrord, for their daughters Harlindis and Relindis. Both sisters successively became abbesses of their Benedictine abbey. After the passage of the Normans and the intervention of a German emperor, the monastery came under the administration of a chapter of canons of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. On the old foundations of the original abbey church, the canons built their collegiate church: in Romanesque style, the nave was built in grey limestone from the 11th century onwards; the choir, in Gothic style, followed in marl from the 13th century onwards.
However, in the early days of the Eighty Years' War (1570-1571) the canons had to seek refuge for their safety within the walled and somewhat higher New Eycke (now Maaseik). They took the church treasures of their collegiate church in Old Eycke (Aldeneik) with them to their new home. They can still be admired today in the treasury of St Catherine's Church in Maaseik.
After the departure of the chapter of canons, the parish church of Aldeneik was demolished and the old monastery church was used as the parish church. St Anne's Church fell into complete disrepair after the French Revolution was - thankfully - expertly restored in the second half of the 19th century. In the mid-1990s, the exterior of St Anne's was given another thorough restoration, and from 2006-2010 the same happened to the interior.
Even in the 21st century, St Anne's Church is an unmissable jewel in the crown of fertile Maasland. It is therefore well worth a visit!
In the early years of the 8th century, the noble couple Adelhart and Grinara built a monastery here, with the support of the Anglo-Saxon monk Willibrord, for their daughters Harlindis and Relindis. Both sisters successively became abbesses of their Benedictine abbey. After the passage of the Normans and the intervention of a German emperor, the monastery came under the administration of a chapter of canons of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. On the old foundations of the original abbey church, the canons built their collegiate church: in Romanesque style, the nave was built in grey limestone from the 11th century onwards; the choir, in Gothic style, followed in marl from the 13th century onwards.
However, in the early days of the Eighty Years' War (1570-1571) the canons had to seek refuge for their safety within the walled and somewhat higher New Eycke (now Maaseik). They took the church treasures of their collegiate church in Old Eycke (Aldeneik) with them to their new home. They can still be admired today in the treasury of St Catherine's Church in Maaseik.
After the departure of the chapter of canons, the parish church of Aldeneik was demolished and the old monastery church was used as the parish church. St Anne's Church fell into complete disrepair after the French Revolution was - thankfully - expertly restored in the second half of the 19th century. In the mid-1990s, the exterior of St Anne's was given another thorough restoration, and from 2006-2010 the same happened to the interior.
Even in the 21st century, St Anne's Church is an unmissable jewel in the crown of fertile Maasland. It is therefore well worth a visit!
Photos
