Saints Peter and Paul

External views

Admire this 12th century Romanesque church, Belgium’s only Cluniac example. View it from the former priory farm porch by walking 20 m up Engihoul Street. From the village square, see it on its hill with its octagonal bell tower and old cemetery. From the “Vôye di mèsse,” follow Rue de l’Eglise along the cemetery wall to the first path for a view of the presbytery garden, pond, and rear façade.

Inside the building

One is struck by the breadth, balance and warmth of the space, lit by the cloverleaf stained glass above the choir (Joseph Osterrath, 1906) and the three coloured windows of the apse. The large nave is separated from the side aisles by square pillars alternating with slimmer supports or clusters of four engaged columns, giving the whole a sense of lightness. Twisted twin columns decorate the stronger pillars.

Baptismal fonts (12th century)

Very original, these pieces date from the late 12th century and are carved in Meuse limestone. The basin is unique, resting on 13 supports: a central shaft with 12 small columns. Its square monolithic tank is hollowed into a half sphere. The exterior shows Syrian inspired carvings: pairs of lions on each side and bearded heads at the corners, likely the four rivers of paradise, one crowned. The 17th century copper lid replaces the stolen original cross with one predating 1895.

Christ in cross (16th century)

In the center of the great nave, a Christ all in oak, work by the Liège sculptor Maître Balthazar and painted by "Maître Lambert" (Lombard?), painter of the Prince-Bishop's palace under Erard de la Marck.
Notice the heavy crown of thorns and the loincloth waving in the wind. It belongs to the late Gothic period; the flying garment marks the transition to the Renaissance.

Ancient statues (15th and 16th c.)

In the right nave stand three statues. Saint Catherine of Alexandria (16th c. wood) defeats the crowned emperor with her wisdom, the sword recalling her beheading. St. John the Evangelist (15th c. wood), with wavy hair, blesses as a winged dragon rises from the poisoned cup meant for him. Sainte Barbe (16th c. wood) is identified by her tower with three windows and the palm of martyrdom.

Tombstones

The left transept holds the tomb of Reverend Jean Magonet, parish priest for 27 years, who died on 8 January 1714, and that of Pirlot, alderman of Huy (1508), with a central coat of arms and Gothic inscriptions. In the right transept lies the oldest stone (1300), for Marie (Maroie), wife of Henry de Vill… Nearby is the most recent, in Latin, for Reverend Jean Henri Gérardi, parish priest for 48 years, who died on 24 August 1790.

Download the plan of the remarkable elements