The Church of Saint Anne ( Dutch: ''Sint-Annakerk'') is a partly Romanesque, partly Gothic church in Aldeneik, Belgium.

History

Originally, the church was part of Aldeneik Abbey, a Benedictine

nunnery A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican Comm ...

, founded by the holy sisters Harlindis and Relindis on their father Adelard's estate in ''Eike'' (Aldeneik). In the 10th century, emperor

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

donated the monastery to the

Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as ...

in order to prevent local nobleman from seizing control of the property. Shortly afterwards the nunnery was replaced by a collegiate chapter of (male) canons, who in the 12th century built the Romanesque church which partly survives in the present building. Since the 16th century it has served as a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church. Originally dedicated to

Saint Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, later to Mary and

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

, in the 18th century it was dedicated to

Saint Anne According to apocrypha, as well as Christianity, Christian and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's Gosp ...

Description church

Exterior

The present church was partly built in the 12th century and consists of a 3-aisle

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

in Mosan style, without

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s. In the 13th or 14th century the choir was replaced in Gothic style. After the chapter moved to Maaseik in 1571, the church became too big for the small congregation that continued to use it. The aisles were probably demolished shortly afterwards. Part of the westwork was also demolished or destroyed. In the 19th century the westwork was rebuilt, although it was not clear what the original westwork had looked like. The side aisles were rebuilt in the same period. File:Kerk_aldeneik2.jpg, Westwork and tower File:Aldeneik, StAnnakerk02.jpg, Dwarf gallery File:Aldeneik, StAnnakerk07.jpg, View from the north File:Aldeneik, StAnnakerk08.jpg, Choir and rose window

Interior

The nave is the best preserved part of the original interior of the church, although the wooden ceiling was renewed in the 19th century. The primitive red and ochre murals in the nave date from the 13th century and are among the oldest in Belgium. The choir is lit by two

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

s and five

lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...

s. File:Aldeneik, StAnnakerk09.jpg, View towards the choir File:Aldeneik, StAnnakerk10.jpg, North aisle File:Aldeneik, StAnnakerk12.jpg, Interior westwork File:Aldeneik, StAnnakerk13.jpg, Romanesque font

References

{{coord, 51, 6, 7.3, N, 5, 48, 20, E, source:nlwiki_region:BE_scale:1000_type:landmark, display=title Roman Catholic churches in Belgium Gothic architecture in Belgium Romanesque architecture in Belgium Mosan art Churches in Limburg (Belgium)