Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church is a Catholic

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, named in honour of

Saint Waltrude Saint Waltrude (french: Waudru; nl, Waldetrudis; german: Waltraud; la, Valdetrudis, Valtrudis, Waltrudis; died April 9, 688 AD) is the patron saint of Mons, Belgium, where she is known in French as Sainte Waudru, and of Herentals, Belgium, wher ...

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

. The church is a notable example of

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

, and is protected by the

heritage register This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many i ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

History

The history of the church dates back to 1450, when construction of the

east East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

end began. It was built for a female religious community as a

collegiate church In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons: a non-monastic or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by ...

. Its chapter of

canoness Canoness is a member of a religious community of women living a simple life. Many communities observe the monastic Rule of St. Augustine. The name corresponds to the male equivalent, a canon. The origin and Rule are common to both. As with the ...

es remained in existence until the revolutionary period at the end of the 18th century. The canonesses were typically members of aristocratic houses. Originally it was possible to admit the daughters of ''chevalier''s. The statutes, as approved by the Empress, were made stricter in the 18th century as regards the requirement for the canonesses to prove their noble status. Afterwards the building became a parish church.

Famous Canonesses

* Isabel, sister of

Katherine Swynford Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster (born Katherine de Roet, – 10 May 1403), also spelled Katharine or Catherine, was the third wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, the fourth (but third surviving) son of King Edward III. Daughte ...

* Eléonore-Jeanne de Mérode * Marie-Magdelaine de Gavre * Anne de Noyelles * Anne Charlotte de Lorraine, Secular Abbess of the chapter in 1754 by imperial request of Empress Maria-Theresia

Architecture

Collégiale Sainte-Waudru de Mons (DSCF8090)

The exterior of the church is a fine example of

Brabantine Gothic Brabantine Gothic, occasionally called Brabantian Gothic, is a significant variant of Gothic architecture that is typical for the Low Countries. It surfaced in the first half of the 14th century at St. Rumbold's Cathedral in the City of Mechele ...

architecture, parts are built by

Matheus de Layens Matheus de Layens (d. Leuven, 3 December 1483) was a Brabantine architect from the 15th century. He was employed in Leuven from 1433, first under the architect Sulpitius van Vorst (d. 1439), and afterwards under Jan Keldermans II, whom he succe ...

. However, in the 17th century the works stopped and the building was never completely finished.

Interior

The interior contains important artworks, including sculptures by

Jacques du Broeucq Jacques du Broeucq (c.1505 – c.1584) was a sculptor and architect from Southern Netherlands, who is believed to have spent c. 1530-35 in Italy. Jacques du Broeucq was born and died in Mons and is perhaps best known as the teacher of Giambologna ...

and paintings by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradit ...

Floris de Vriendt Frans Floris, Frans Floris the Elder or Frans Floris de Vriendt (17 April 15191 October 1570) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman, print artist and tapestry designer. He is mainly known for his history paintings, allegorical scenes and portraits ...

Theodoor van Thulden Theodoor van Thulden (1606–12 July 1669) was a painter, draughtsman and engraver from 's-Hertogenbosch. He is mainly known for his altarpieces, mythological subjects, allegorical works and portraits. He was active in Antwerp, where he had tra ...

Otto Venius Otto van Veen, also known by his Latinized name Otto Venius or Octavius Vaenius (1556 – 6 May 1629), was a painter, draughtsman, and humanist active primarily in Antwerp and Brussels in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known fo ...

and Michiel Coxie. Inside the church important graves can be found amongst them

Antoine de Carondelet Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin. The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...

and Alice of Namur

Organ

The church's original instrument was lost and at the beginning of the 19th century the present one was acquired. It originally belonged to an abbey and dates from the late 17th century. Both the old and the current organs were associated with the Fetis family. Antoine-Joseph Fetis was titular organist in the 18th century. He taught his eldest son

François-Joseph Fétis François-Joseph Fétis (; 25 March 1784 – 26 March 1871) was a Belgian musicologist, composer, teacher, and one of the most influential music critics of the 19th century. His enormous compilation of biographical data in the ''Biographie univer ...

, a famous Belgian musician, who showed talent as an organist from a young age.F.J. FETIS 1784 - 1871. HET MUZIEKLEVEN VAN ZIJN TIJD. Brussel, Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, 1972/ A large instrument, capable of a wide range of repertoire, the St Waltrude organ was the subject of a major restoration at the beginning of the 21st century involving

Klais Orgelbau Orgelbau Klais is a German firm that designs, builds and restores pipe organs. It is a family run company, founded in 1882 by Johannes Klais senior and is now run by his great-grandson Philipp Klais. The firm is based in Bonn, Germany, and has co ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Protected heritage sites in Hainaut (province) History of Mons Former collegiate churches in Belgium