Basilica of Our Lady, Tongeren

Geschiedenis

The Basilica of Our Lady also called Old Cathedral of Tongeren It is the main place of Catholic worship in the city of Tongeren, Belgium and the former cathedral of the suppressed diocese of Tongeren.The basilica was built in the Gothic style, according to the local interpretation of the Gothic Brabant, in the thirteenth century.In recent excavations where this church found some of the richest archaeological finds of Flanders. Archaeological excavations have shown the presence of a construction area already present in the fourth century and a house of prayer Carolingian Catholic dating from the ninth century.The construction of the present church choir began in 1240. The ships, the transept and the side chapels were added between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries.The original Romanesque bell tower was replaced by the current Gothic tower, measuring 64 meters high, built between 1442 and 1541.The interior of the basilica houses the image of Our Lady of Tongeren, dating from 1475. The treasure is in the old chapter and includes one of the richest collections of Catholic religious art in Belgium.