Saint-Nicolas
Rue des Récollets
6940 Durbuy
Church | 1643 | Baroque | Roman Catholic Church
Map
Opening hours
01 January - 31 December
Mon 10.30 - 19.00
Tue 10.30 - 19.00
Wed 10.30 - 19.00
Thu 10.30 - 19.00
Fri 10.30 - 19.00
Sat 10.30 - 19.00
Sun 10.30 - 19.00
Description
In the 17th century, in the house of his father, which he donated to the church, Laurent le Jeune, dean of the collegiate church of Maastricht, built the convent of the Récollets. It was the King of Spain, Philip IV, who gave him the green light to begin the work. Thirteen years later, in 1642, the church was consecrated and dedicated to the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.
It was not until 1810 that the church of the Récollets became the church of the Durbuysians, after the convent was abolished and the demolition of the old parish church became too old. It thus took the name and became the church of Saint-Nicolas.
The 39-metre-long limestone building mixes several architectural styles. The Gothic nave (1630), the classical choir (1766) and the neo-Gothic roofs (completed in 1845) form a harmonious whole and mark the different periods of transformation of the church.
Inside, apart from the traces of a semicircular vault in the attic, there are no traces of the original construction.
Today, St. Nicholas's Church is a well-maintained church that is an unmissable stopover for tourists strolling through the cobbled streets of the world's smallest town, or for those who enjoy a game of mini-golf nearby. It hosts a daily religious service and various activities are regularly organised.
The Espace Saint-Nicolas next to the church has a bookshop and a room for family activities and company seminars.
KIKIRPA : Photo-library online
Photos
Remarkable elements
Christ on the cross
From the Mosane school, 2m6 high, this wooden Christ, stripped, overlooks the old cloister. It is dated from the middle or end of the 18th century. Now hung on one of the walls of the church, this statue was first exposed in the cemetery.
Clothed statue of the Virgin and Child Jesus
As is the case with several famous statues in Belgium, the Virgin with the Child Jesus occupying the centre of the left side altar regularly changes its outfit.
Musical angel
An 88cm trumpet angel from the pulpit of truth attributed to Martin Jacques (1703-1773) overlooks the organs restored by the organ builder Lemercinier de Jambes in 1927.
Chair to preach
Richly decorated with allegorical figures and evangelist saints, the wooden pulpit for preaching is in Baroque style. It consists of a vat, a staircase and a choir seat. It was recovered from the former parish church, which was demolished in 1810.
Baptismal font
They also come from the former church of St. Nicholas and are dated 1588. The stone pedestal and the copper lid date from the 19th century.
Two reliquary paintings of the tabernacle
Attached to the high altar, they come from the Chapel of St. Clare of the Recollectines, demolished in the 19th century by the new owner of the former convent.
