Saint-Martin

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Thursday : 9 am
every second Sunday : 10.45 am

Perched at the top of the village, the church of Marcourt is an eye-catcher from afar. Archaeologists have found traces of a first oratory in the 11th century, but the first written mention dates from 1566. In the 14th century, the building was enlarged with a defensive tower, and at the end of the 17th century a new nave was added.

Inside, you can admire precious works of sacred art and older furniture, preserved because of the attachment of the parishioners. For example, the confessional at the back of the church, which bears the date 1643, is a small marvel of sculpture, decorated with five chubby angels.  The main altar with altarpiece from 1673 commands respect with its baroque structure. The pulpit (18th century), decorated with the four evangelists, is touching in its naivety, while the communion bench - although it is from the same period - shows a more masterful art.
 
In the old cemetery, with its listed walls, you will discover interesting tombstones from the 16th and 17th centuries. Lords in armour rub shoulders with more humble peasants and children cut down at an early age. Some of the naïve sculptures, of angels in mourning or of grieving relatives, are especially moving... The finest sculptures are made of Ottré stone (an important centre for cutting tombstones, in what is now the municipality of Vielsalm), a (quartzo) phyllade with a mauve sheen, smooth, very soft to the touch and easy to engrave.

Behind the sacristy, a memorial reminds us that several inhabitants were executed by German soldiers in September 1944, in retaliation for an act of resistance.

KIKIRPA : Photo-library online