Our Lady of the Assumption

The choir

In the centre of the choir is the Great Cross of the Missions. On either side are the statues of the Virgin and Child and Joseph and Child. They are made of wood with abundant and lively draperies: characteristic of the school of the Liege sculptor Jean Del Cour (1627-1707). A recent expert report attributes them to his contemporary Arnold Hontoire (1650-1709).

A 12th century masterpiece was also discovered: the baptismal font. The basin is decorated at the corners with feline heads with a vegetal lower jaw (a motif of oriental origin) and on the perimeter of the bases in the form of capitals. The hammered copper dome is currently on deposit in the Namur diocesan museum.

The altarpiece of Saint Eloi

Saint Eloi is celebrated on 1 December and in Ciney. The Saint Eloi fair was one of the most important of the year. This 16th century altarpiece was in the Saint-Hubert Chapel until 1970, when it was moved for town planning reasons.

Three small sculpted panels depict "The Miracle of the Forge", "The Coronation" and "The Funeral" of the Saint. The two large panels represent "The Carrying of the Cross" and "The Deposition from the Cross". The central panel has disappeared and would have represented a Golgotha.

The Chapel of the Rosary

In this beautiful little chapel, the woodwork has been preserved as well as the altar and the altarpiece, donated by Miss Isabelle Dernelle (17th century) and which come from the former church of the Récollets. The confessional dates from 1665. The painting above the altar depicts the Virgin Mary giving the Rosary to Saint Dominic. There is also a wooden statue of St. Roch, who is invoked to cure contagious diseases.

In addition to its function as the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, this room is reserved for the confessors who take turns every day, hence its new name: Chapel of Reconciliation.

The statue of Saint Materne

Under the rood screen is the tomb of its donor, Canon Fontaine de Morimont, who died in 1634. Saint Materne was Bishop of Tongeren and Cologne in the 4th century, and according to tradition, he was the first apostle in the region. He is associated with the legend of the name of the town of Ciney and of the "five born", children (from the same litter) of Prince Clement and resurrected by Saint Materne following an accident "outside the walls of the town".

The great organs

The original construction dates from 1872 and is made by P. Schrijven. The console has three manuals and a pedalboard. The instrument was renovated in 1850 by the firm Dresse of Namur, who equipped it with electric drive while preserving its romantic character. Heavily damaged by the weather in 2010, it has just been restored and returned to its place on the rood screen.

It is also said that during the Second World War, the population registers were hidden in the pipes to prevent the enemy from seizing them.

The old tombstones

Thanks to the existence of the chapter of canons in the heart of Ciney, we have discovered some old tombstones. Some of them, located inside the Collegiate Church, were inserted outside, integrated into the façade of the new entrance porch built next to the left of the tower in 1835.

Around 1909, when the tower was being rebuilt, Léon Simon asked that the most beautiful tombstones be embedded in the walls of the old entrance porches. He continued this initiative during the First World War, employing unemployed people to clear the old cemetery surrounding the church, thus saving many family names from oblivion.

Download the plan of the remarkable elements