Sainte Croix

8/16/2019 Sainte Croix

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The Sainte-Croix Collegiate Church

1. Presentation

The site is first mentioned in a XIth century text, recalling the foundation of the

Sainte-Croix church (Holy Cross Church). It teaches us that a lord covets the site,

previously virgin of any construction, to build a castle. To counter this ambition, likely

to weaken his monopoly on the Episcopal city, Bishop Notger (972-1008) decides to

neutralize the site by tasking the dean of Saint-Lambert Cathedral with the quick

foundation of a church dedicated to the Holy Cross. The tradition places this

foundation in 978 or 979. In the eleventh century, a small parish church dedicated to

St Nicholas and depending on the canons of the Sainte-Croix is built to the East of

the new church. A cloister surrounded by canonical buildings takes place on theSouth side.

The present church is built in the XIIIth and XIVth centuries on the foundations

of the original church. The Ottonian cloister is successively rebuilt in the XIVth and

XVIIIth centuries, before losing three of its four galleries in the XIXth century, replaced

by a row of small houses rented out by the church fabrique.

In the 1960’s, all the houses on the North side of the church as well as other

surrounding streets are demolished to allow the creation of a speedway connecting

the city center with the highway. This destructive intervention has deprived thechurch of an important portion of its built environment and its parish.



The Sainte-Croix church stands on the Eastern side of the Publémont hill. This

natural promontory is located at the periphery of the historic center of Liège, of which

it constitutes the Western end. It formerly rose between the Sauvenière, one of the

Meuse river inlets, and the Légia, a river originating from the Hesbaye plateau and

flowing into the Meuse near the present St Lambert square. Both rivers have been

drained or diverted in the XIXth century and are no longer visible today: the bed of

the Sauvenière has been converted into a wide boulevard and the Legia’s one into a

speedway towards Brussels highway.

The built environment of the Sainte-Croix church is highly contrasting. To the

South, the slope leading to the lower part of the city is still occupied by ancientbuildings, amongst which, at the base of the hill, two XVIth century private mansions.

North of the church, the ancient fabric has almost completely disappeared at the

benefit of the speedway. The church is flanked by the Sainte-Croix and the Haute-

Sauvenière streets, converging along the church Westbau. To the East, the choir is

separated from the ancient St-Nicholas parish church by a little street. Finally, along

the southerner gallery of the cloister, the only one that has been preserved, a row of

houses with small gardens recalls schematically the shape of the cloister, partly

demolished in the XIXth century.

With its impressive octagonal tower and its late Romanesque style, the

westbau differs from the rest of the building, conceived in gothic style. The nave, hall-

type, is covered by a long central roof in which open small transverse two sloped

roves. To the East, a slightly protruding transept opens on a polygonal choir

illuminated by high gothic windows. Two rectangular sacristies and a trapezoid annex

hosting the treasury flank both sides of the sanctuary. The entrances, two lateral

portals, take place in the nave walls. The medieval structure is composed of Meuse

and Lorraine limestone, coal sandstone and freestone. The medieval oak frameworks

are very well preserved. Inside, the carved gothic ornaments are accompanied by a

monumental gothic revival decoration of high quality, composed of stained-glasswindows, mural paintings and liturgical furniture.



© Arnaud Delhaes

The Sainte-Croix church is one of the seven collegiate churches built between

the Xth and the XIth centuries to make of Liège one of the most renowned cities of the

Holy Empire. Its impressive octagonal tower remains nowadays an urban landmark,

and consists in a symbolic milestone essential for the establishment of a relation

between the collegiate churches, within a reading of the religious topography of the

city.

The monument significance is also due to its exceptional architectural value,

which earn it to be listed as one the Exceptional Heritage of Wallonia. With its two

opposed apses, an eastern choir modeled near 1250 after the Paris’ Sainte-Chapelle,

with its “halle-nave” too, built near 1270-1280 from an uncommon model in the

Empire, it diverged from the traditional architectural plans of the Mosan region and

contributed entirely at the import of new gothic options in the eastern part of the

German Empire.

Some of these architectural choices closely reflect the specific identity of the

chapter, bound to the special function of the building and the possession of a relic of

the Holy Cross, set in a splendid staurothec made near 1160-1170. Therefore, the

building possesses a model value for the studies regarding the influence of the relics

of the Passion on the designing of a medieval church.

The Sainte-Croix church deserves to be protected because of its position in the

history of the medieval heritage restoration, with high quality neogothic interventions,

partly outside, but especially inside the church.



2. Condition

The Sainte-Croix church suffers from problems that are well known since the

seventies. These have led to heavy structural interventions by the architect H.F.

Joway, that, forty years after, show their limits: the limestone and freestonemasonries are deteriorated, as well as the temporary bitumen roof coverings. Directly

laid on the natural slates, these have led to the rotting of the wood lathing, preventing

the placement of any further waterproofness layer. Water infiltration leads to

framework, masonry, decoration and paintings deterioration. Recently, fungi have

been identified in the roves frameworks.

Inaccessible zones from the spire uncover each time the wind blows, and several

openings have been noticed. Stones are falling down inside and outside the building.

Finally, stained glasses are damaged: protection glasses break, choir panels are

sliding, grisailles oxidize and get dirty.

3. Challenge

The goal targeted by this file consists in ensuring the survival of the collegiate

church of Sainte-Croix, and then its restoration. In order to do this, numerous

operators act in the process required for the setting of a restoration plan.

To define a course of action which both could satisfy everyone and match with thebuilding and its architectural and artistic feature, a series of interviews had yet been

carried out with the several stakeholders:

The Church Fabrique

The Bishopric

The municipality of Liège : administration

The municipality of Liège : deputy mayor

The Walloon Heritage Institute

The Public Service of Wallonia – DG04

The Royal Commission of Monuments, Sites and Excavations external contacts :

o Mathieu Piavaux, doctor of philosophy and letters and lecturer in the

University of Namur

o Louis Schockert, architect

o Albert Lemeunier, retired as conservative at Grand Curtius Museum

o Pierre-Yves Kairis, director of the department Preservation-Restauration in

the IRPA

o Jean-Jacques Messiaen, director of the Archeoforum

o Julien Maquet, in the charge of the publications of the IPW and

assistant-curator in the Treasure of the Cathedral



3.1. Current situation

The collegiate church of Sainte-Croix is listed as a monument since 1936. It has been

selected for the list of the Exceptional Heritage of Wallonia in 2009. Consequently itcan pretend on 95% of grants by the Walloon Region.

In accordance with the jurisprudence, the property of this church goes to the

municipality, while the church fabrique owns the management. The latter is obliged to

maintain the good condition of the building. The municipality of Liège is obliged to

compensate financially in case of lack of income, for all works, including the security

works.



3.2. Cult preservation

The collegiate church management is managed by the Fabrique. However, regarding

the scale of the work, this one shall hand down its control to the municipality.In order not to restore a church which could decay afterwards, the Walloon Region

would give 95% grants only if there is a specific plan of allocation justifying the

restoration. The funds to invest would run to several millions euros, hence the

necessity of a relevant function.

The contracting authority shall be helped by the IPW, and by the SPW-DG04, if exists

a real will from the contracting authority and the stakeholders (Fabrique, bishopric,

Heritage Services) to maintain the plan.

The upholding of cult function is not conflicting with a coexistence of several functions

introducing a daily and attractive life in the collegiate church.



3.3. Cult deconsecration

In case of decision against the upholding of cult in the collegiate church, the building

comes back in the private properties of the municipality of Liège. Very likely then the

municipality of Liège should take on the control of the works unless alternative

agreements are taken with other stakeholders.

An alternative function replacing the cult seems difficult to find given that the building

possess a strong religious image.



4. Stakeholders :

THE CHURCH FABRIQUE

• Role

The church fabriques are public and independent entities. They are tasked withmaintenance and preservation of the churches, management of possessions and

funds given to the cult, ensuring the practice of cult and its dignity, looking for the

funds essentials to the fulfillment of its missions (art.1 in the Imperial Decree of the

30th of December 1809).

The charge for a shortfall due to the practice of cult is taken by the municipality.

• Situation

The "matrix" of the cadastral plan shows the church Fabrique as the owner of the

collegiate church of Sainte-Croix. This matrix has however no legal value. Indeed, inaccordance with the jurisprudence, the property of this church which building dates

from the 13th century goes to the municipality, while the management goes to the

Fabrique. The latter is obliged to maintain the building in good conditions.

The church Fabrique of Sainte-Croix has however no more durability in the long view.

It is destined to disappear because it fulfills not all its functions: the lack of cult and

parish only let to it the maintenance of the building. Despite that, the Fabrique has

not sunk itself and tries to maintain a presence and to prevent the emptying of the

church from its art pieces, in order not to let it become an empty shell waiting for

destruction. Unfortunately these ones are degrading and shall be put in a safe place.There was for the collegiate church a financial help form the maintenance service of

the restoration service, but this one has stopped the grants, waiting for the

organization of a heritage certificate and the nomination of a plan creator.

• In case of project

It is expressly shown in the legislation regarding the listed buildings that every owner

of a building is obliged to maintain it: article 207 from the CWATUPE.

Regarding the building used for cult, the church fabriques are managers and then

can make a request for grants even though they are not owners. The large works (notto do each year) as renovation works for a roof, or painting, must be added in an

exceptional budget. Their financing shall be provided by the municipality or by a loan

established by the Fabrique (after permission from the municipality).

However it is hardly ever done for a complete restoration, the administration

reckoning that the municipalities are abler to face all the administrative process.

Indeed, most of the fabriques have difficulties to follow a restoration plan. Being the

administrative authority, they should then lend the money, and be paid off by the

grants. It needs then some guarantees for the banks, and paying interests. But the

Fabrique is made of private persons whose functions are not paied, and has notenough force to manage such a case.



• Situation

The Bishop decides what the best for the practice is, for the interests of the Church

Fabriques. There is a necessity to act with the greater degree of objectivity and to

convince of the necessity to search for long-term solutions instead of immediate

arrangements.The bishop is considering in the medium term the grouping of the church wardens,

upon their request, starting with the rural regions.

A plan for the decommissioning of the collegiate church of the Holy Cross had

already been initiated but it has not been carried through.


The bishopric has to make its intentions clear regarding the religious destination of

the collegiate church of the Holy Cross. The later should be an integral part of a

tourist architectural heritage project beside the cult aspect.The project file will go through the services of the bishopric, which will give its opinion

beforehand.

• Point of view

The bishopric supports the intervention. He is determined to protect its churches and

does not want to loose a collegiate church. He also hopes to make the parish come

alive again.

The collegiate church of the Holy Cross, as it is configured, cannot afford anything

but cult and cultural activities of high quality. Worship has never been a disruptive

factor in the maintenance of the buildings. Rather, it is the guaranty of the life of the

building and provides the maintenance of a lisibility of the building’s substance. It

ensures the daily survival of the place assuming the opening of the monument. There

is nevertheless a need of an attractive non-religious element which would bring

people in the area (cultural events/tourism/…). The aim is to put into light a specif icity

on the cultural and cult levels.

Decommissioning the worship in a church is the best way to ensure its destruction

very quickly. Decommission means a complete lack of cult assignment, thus a limitedaccess to the place.

A reorganization of the parishes in favour of the collegiate churches would be difficult,

because what makes a parish is not the architectural quality, but the commitment of

the parishioners and the wish to create something on the pastoral level. People are

not attending Mass because the building is beautiful (although it is a favorable

element).

It is to be hoped that a framework agreement will be established, but the Walloon

Region is lacking money. The restoration of the church could especially become a

pilot site for the training in the restoration field of the center « la Paix-Dieu ».



• Contacts

Raphaël Collinet, judicial episcopal vicar of the Bishopric of Liège,

Isabelle Leclercq, manager of the Service of the Church Wardens,

Marylène Laffineur, volunteer collaborator of the Heritage Service.

THE CITY OF LIEGE

• Role

- Administration: accomplishes the decisions of the Council and the College.

- Deputy Mayor Office: provides the legislation and the daily city management.

The municipal college ensures the daily management of the City thanks to the

administration which is under the direction of the secretary-general.

• Situation

The ownership of the collegiate church of the Holy Cross belongs to the City of Liège.

Moreover the later has the duty to help financially in the event of insufficient income

of the church wardens for all kinds of works, including health and safety.

The City never intervened in the maintenance works, apart from security measures

for the scaffoldings. The City had agreed to be mandated for the preliminary studies

and since then has opened on its own a procedure of « Certificat de Patrimoine ».

The file of the church of the Holy-Cross started in 1968. In 1974, the project of thearchitect H.F. Joway was abandoned because of financial problems. The new

scaffolding was installed in 2004. Since then, the file is pending.


The City is the owner but not the manager. It is not its duty to initiate the project.

Nevertheless, the church warden does not want to ensure the direction of the works,

and the control of the project will be delegated to the City.

In case of decommissioning of the cult, the management would be taken by the City.

Given the size of the project, it would be unthinkable that the church warden ensures

the direction of the works. Nevertheless, there is the need of a project in order to get

the subsidies and the commitment of the City.

• Point of view

The City of Liège is involved and hopes that the project will succeed. The City wants

to see its collegiate church restored, beyond its function. It is, above all, a building

with a very important heritage value. The state of the monument is critical and the

first thing to be done would be the restoration of the roof.

A cooperation between the parishes would be necessary in order to establish more

permeability between the church fabriques and the City.



The architecture of the collegiate church does not allow an obvious reallocation of its

purpose if we wish to preserve its architectural and artistic integrity.

An urbanistic project has been proposed formally: a collegiate churches tour.

This would enable to reinforce the touristic appeal of the city, and to protect the

seven collegiate churches of Liège, which are all « major heritage », in this society

which becomes more and more secularized. This proposition maintains the religious

part of the bishopric.

The idea is to give a life to each of these collegiate churches, in addition to a

religious specificity.

• Contacts

Administration, The City of Liège,

In the person of Annick Thomas, architect in the Department of the Works.

Municipal Councilor Office, The City of Liège, In the person of Jean-Marie Verdière, secretary in the Office of Municipal

Councilor, Urbanism, Tourism and Heritage.

THE WALLOON HERITAGE INSTITUTE

• Role

The Walloon Heritage Institute (IPW) is an organization of regional public interest

which depends of the minister’s office in charge of the heritage. Its main tasks are:

- To conduct property transactions

- To promote monuments which are the property of the Walloon Region

- To ensure the transmission of the know-how in the field of the heritage on the

site of the ancient abbey of Paix-Dieu and to raise the awareness of this

matter in young people

- To ensure the bulk of the work consisting in education, publication, diffusion

and promotion of the Walloon Heritage

The Walloon Heritage Institute aims at assisting the owners of listed buildingswith a view to rehabilitating them (…).

The aim is to provide help on all aspects (advices to the reallocation, following-up

project files, research and organization of partnerships, administrative procedures,

execution of project,…) at the request of the owner.

This task is carried out, on one hand, for the properties listed in a List launched by

the Government, which can only include properties located on the territory of the

Walloon Region except for the German-speaking area; and on the other hand, for the

acts listed in Article 219, 3° and 4°, related to the reallocation of the listed items on

request of their owners in the same territorial limits.



• Situation

The Sainte-Croix collegiate church is included on the list of the IPW since 2006.

The Walloon Heritage Institute has no decision-making power. It works at the owner’s

request, often upstream from the file in order to set up the works. It could also fund

certain kinds of studies, as it has in the past with a study of the condition of the roof.Moreover, the Institute has proposed to the City of Liège to fund the two first phases

of the restoration of the roof as defined in this study. Nevertheless the owner did not

follow this up.

The IPW could help, on the City’s request, to find the adequate function of allocation

for the collegiate church. However, the procedure is taking time and energy and

requires guidance from the owner. Moreover, since it concerns a regional public

investment, there is a necessity to insure that there will be a follow-up to the

opportunity which has been offered and a real willingness to follow the project

(political agreement).


The Walloon Heritage Institute could provide, on the owner’s request, the support as

defined in its missions. Its objective is to save the properties in danger. In the next

step, the points of view of ethical nature would be important to consider for the

assigned function. Nevertheless, as the building would go back to a good condition,

the Institute is open to every kind of proposition.

•

Point of view

The difficulty of this file is to analyze the neighborhood and the city in order to know

which functions this building can include taking into account the existing ones. For

the City, this project is just one amongst many others, and will need millions that the

City does not have, hence the necessity to define a relevant function which should

match the communal and economic reality.

All the more so as the urban position of the collegiate church of the Holy Cross is

strategically favorable to a project integrated in the urban policy (=macro).

The tour of the collegiate churches is only possible if it is linked with other functions,

as well as the worship. But combining functions is not easy, particularly since it is noteasy to manage a religious building due to the various religious symbols that it uses.

Moreover, one of the problems of the churches concerning the reallocation is the lack

of space for the facilities (toilets, dressing room,…).

The fact that the collegiate church of Sainte-Croix is the last one in a neighborhood

which is rapidly changing and has undergone many interventions, allows us to take

an optimistic view on its future.

• Contacts

Vanessa Amormino – Thomas Deruyver

Real Estate Missions Office



THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF WALLONIA – GENERAL OPERATIONAL

DIRECTION: land settlement, housing, heritage and energy (DGO4)

• Role

The Operational Directorate-General is a service depending on the Region of

Wallonia. It provides assistance and subsidies for the restoration and maintenance of

monuments. Studies are carried out, special techniques are used, ancient materials

are reproduced and reimplemented in order to preserve their value of heritage.

The DGO4 takes action in several steps for listed property in Wallonia:

- at the level of the heritage certificate

- support to the owner, definition of priorities

- phases in the planning permission

- requests and procedures for subsidies

- follow up of the works

• Situation

The collegiate church of Sainte Croix has been classified as a monument since 1936

(A.R. 15/01/1936).

It is listed as exceptional classified heritage of the Region of Wallonia (listing decision

- arrêté de classement of 27/05/2009 M.B. 17/08/2009). This means it can benefit

from 95% of the subsidies from the Region of Wallonia.

The DGO4 has no authority to take decisions or initiatives. Its role is to provide aframework and to help the owner to define priorities to work in the right order.

A procedure for a Heritage Certificate has been launched in the name of the City of

Liège for provisional measures and the possible necessary preliminary studies.

• In case of a project

Substantial subsidies will be granted to the work on the structure, the decoration, the

inside, the necessary structural works,... But all the finishing work of the new parts,

layout, techniques, etc. is not covered by the subsidies. The cloister houses are not

part of the listing decision either and will thus not benefit from these subsidies.

The DGO4 will provide support as defined in its missions.

• Point of view

The DGO4 aims at ensuring the durability of the good with due regard to its heritage

value. The collegiate church is suitable for a reassignment project as there has been

no more parish service for several years. Moreover as it is close to the churches of

Saint Martin and Saint Servais and as it lacks parishioners, relaunching its religious

activity does not seem relevant.Nevertheless the building needs daily activity to thrive in the long term.



The city of Liège wants to develop tourism and its past is essential. Liège has a very

important religious past and the collegiate church of Sainte Croix is a prevailing part

of it. It would be inconceivable not to restore it.

• Contacts

Nadine Reginster: planning officer of the DGO4

Géraldine Chaineux: architect for the Restoration Directorate

THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF MONUMENTS, SITES AND

EXCAVATIONS (CRMSF)

• Role

The CRMSF is the organization that advices the Walloon Government about the

protection and the preservation of the heritage.

Since 1993, the CRMSF takes part, at the request of the minister in charge of

Heritage, in the establishment of the list of the Exceptional Heritage of Wallonia.

It also provides suggestions on the monuments and sites susceptible to be inscribed

on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Commission has been tasked to give its opinions on:

proposals of classification for monuments, architectural ensembles, sites andarchaeological sites;

proposals of establishment of protected areas for classified heritage;

proposals of registration or removal of a piece of non-movable heritage on the

Safeguarding List;

projects of works and archaeological excavations related to classified heritage,

in the process of classification, inscribed on the Safeguarding List, located in a

protected area or inscribed on the Heritage Inventory with a mention.

The opinions of the CRMSF are delivered collectively.

• Situation

The Collegiate Church Sainte-Croix has been listed again in the Exceptional

Classified Heritage List of the Wallonia Region in 2009.


The Commission is one of the actors that gives its opinion when a Heritage certificate

request is introduced. It has an important role to play in giving its agreement. The

DGO4 may decide not to follow this opinion.

The opinion of the Commission is only consultative but is, in most cases, followed

and respected.



5. Opportunities:

A church could generally be allocated an infinity of new functions but the case of

Sainte-Croix is more complicated. This monument is so exceptional, and such an

architectural pearl that the project will have to respect the principle of keeping the

volumetry pristine as far as possible.

The urbanistic aspect has to be taken into account too. The new function of the

church will have to slot into a larger scale environment and to coexist with already

existing functions.

Several proposals have been tackled:

Collegiate churches tour: starting point with exhibition on the collegiate

churches

Religious specificity (community or other)

Religious art museum Collegiate churches Treasure

Concert and performance hall

Activities (FNAC, lectures…)

Library of architecture

Modern Art Museum (for instance: Serrurier-Bovy)

Exhibitions and culture

Bookshop

Resumption of the Tourist office

Centre of Religious tourism in Wallonia Cafeteria and religious items shop

Hostel

Research and design center

The Collegiate church Sainte-Croix will live only if occupied. In order to do that, it

needs a strong drawing power because there is no neighborhood spirit. The

reassignment must be thought in terms of planning-time. Multifunctionality is a

necessity to offer a rich programming.

The functions proposed are likely to provide a life of quality to the collegiate church

Sainte-Croix . Although it is impossible to integrate them all, some of them can be

combined.



6. Plan of Action:

Firstly, the worship.

It is a constituent part of the collegiate church. History and worship are so

tightly linked that they could hardly be separated. Given the closeness of Saint Martin and Saint Servais churches, as well as the shortage of parishioners, it would be

necessary to decide of a specific religious use for the collegiate church, as well as a

religious specificity.

In the frame of a restoration of the parish’s functions, it would perhaps be possible to

draw believers from some churches.

With the secularization of society being a widespread phenomenon, a time will come

when we will have to choose which churches to preserve for the cult. Perhaps would

it be possible to make of the collegiate church Sainte Croix the parish seat by

dropping Saint Servais and Sainte Marguerite. However, we must consider that from

a humane point of view, those two churches work very well thanks to a collective

enthusiasm that would be broken up. A long-term informative work towards the

believers would therefore be necessary.

Furthermore, we are not talking here of a mono-functionality that would take over the

whole inner space of the church: it is too large for the number of parishioners and to

justify the commitment of the actors in the restoration of the monument.

Secondly, the Collegiate churches tour .

The collegiate churches are all elements of “major heritage”. They havespecific characteristics, all different but all interesting. The tour is a way of protecting

the seven churches because of their architectural and artistic value and regardless of

the religious developments. It would also strengthen what the city of Liège has to

offer from the touristic point of view, as well as inscribe the collegiate church in its

urban context.

Establishing the starting point of the tour at Sainte Croix – the church is indeed very

close to the center – would make of it a major landmark and would also offer the

possibility to integrate a cultural aspect that would present the several collegiate

churches and the history of the town.

Finally, a dynamic and contemporary flexibility.

A space momentarily occupied by the city would renew periodically the

attraction of the collegiate church. The church would not only be a meeting place but

would also be a venue for cultural events, such as temporary exhibitions of Modern

Art or even a place where religious work of art that did not find any place in the

museums of the city could be displayed. Let us remind ourselves that Sainte-Croix

benefits of remarkable acoustical properties, ideal for workshops, performance or

concerts.



© Gérard Michel

Writers:- HUTSEMEKERS Quentin

- PIAVAUX Mathieu

- SCHOCKERT Louis

Translators:

- BEAUFAYS Konogan

- BRANDT Gretchen

- HOUBART Claudine

- KEMPENEERS Thomas

- MATHIEU Clémence

Sainte Croix

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