St Martin's Basilica, Liège, Gothic minor basilica in central Liège, Belgium.
Saint Martin's Basilica is a Gothic-style church located on a hill in central Liège. The interior features tall pointed arches, large stained glass windows, and stone walls characteristic of late medieval religious buildings.
A Romanesque church founded by Bishop Heraclius on the Publémont was consecrated in 965; Notger later dedicated it to Saint Martin and made it a collegiate church. In August 1312 the nobility sheltering inside died when the building was set on fire, an event called the måle Saint-Martin. The present Gothic church was built from 1506 to 1542 under Prince-Bishop Érard de La Marck, following plans by Paul de Ryckel.
The church is dedicated to Saint Martin, but its name in local memory is tied to the Fête-Dieu: the feast was first celebrated here in 1246 after the efforts of Julienne de Cornillon and the recluse Ève de Saint-Martin. The annual procession and the former chapel of the Holy Sacrament, once decorated by Jean Del Cour and Englebert Fisen, recall that tradition.
The basilica sits on a hilltop location that requires some climbing to reach on foot. Visitors can spend time examining the interior details of stained glass and stonework, which remain visible even in lower light conditions.
The first liturgical celebration of the Fête-Dieu, later Corpus Christi, took place here in 1246, after the efforts of Julienne de Cornillon and the recluse Ève de Saint-Martin. In 1846 the church commissioned Felix Mendelssohn's Lauda Sion for the feast's 600th anniversary; it was sung here on 11 June 1846.
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