Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Brussels

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Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (French)
Basiliek van het Heilig-Hart (Dutch)


Basic information
Location Brussels, Belgium
Geographic coordinates 50°52′00″N 4°19′02″E / 50.866667°N 4.31722°E / 50.866667; 4.31722Coordinates: 50°52′00″N 4°19′02″E / 50.866667°N 4.31722°E / 50.866667; 4.31722
Religious affiliation Roman Catholic
Municipality Koekelberg
Year consecrated 1935
Functional status Active
Leadership Herman Cosijns
Website www.basilique.be
Architectural description
Architect(s) Pierre Langerock, Albert Van Huffel, Paul Rome
Architectural type Parish church, Minor Basilica
Architectural style Art Deco
Direction of facade ESE
Groundbreaking 1905
Year completed 1970
Specifications
Capacity 2,000
Length 164.5 metres (540 ft)
Width 107.80 metres (353.7 ft)
Width (nave) 25 metres (82 ft)
Height (max) 89 metres (290 ft)
Dome dia. (outer) 33 metres (110 ft)
Materials reinforced concrete, terracotta layering, bricks, and dimension stone

The National Basilica of the Sacred Heart (French: Basilique Nationale du Sacré-Cœur, Dutch: Nationale Basiliek van het Heilig-Hart ) is a Roman Catholic Minor Basilica and parish church in Brussels. The church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart, inspired by the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur in Paris. Symbolically King Leopold II laid the first stone of the basilica in 1905 during the celebrations of the 75th anniversary of Belgian independence. The construction was halted by the two World Wars and wasn't finished until 1969. Belonging to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussel, it is the sixth largest Roman Catholic church by area in the world [1].

Located in the Parc Elisabeth atop the Koekelberg Hill in Brussels' Koekelberg municipality, the church is popularly known as the Koekelberg Basilica (French: Basilique de Koekelberg or Dutch: Basiliek van Koekelberg). The massive brick and concrete reinforced church features two thin towers and a green copper dome that rises 89 metres (290 ft) above the esplanade, dominating the northwestern skyline of Brussels.

Contents

[edit] History

Mid-19th Century, King Leopold I dreamed of turning the inhabited Koekelberg hill into a royal residence area. After his death, just before 1880, King Leopold II envisaged to build a Belgian Panthéon dedicated to Great Belgians, inspired by the French Panthéon in Paris, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Belgian independence. The King dropped this project due to the lack of enthusiasm of the Belgian population. In 1902, King Leopold II visited the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur of Paris and decided to build instead a pilgrimage church, a national sanctuary dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus [2].

[edit] Neo-gothic basilica (1905-1914)

Neo-gothic project of the Basilica by Pierre Langerock (1905).

The initial project of Leuven architect Pierre Langerock was a sumptuous neo-gothic church inspired by the "ideal cathedral" of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. King Leopold II laid the first stone on October 12, 1905 during the celebrations commemorating the 75th anniversary of Belgian independence[3]. Soon, financing the construction of the church soon became a problem[4]. Only the foundations had been finished when the World War I broke out. In his pastoral letter for Christmas 1914, Cardinal Mercier gave the Basilica a new meaning[3]:

“ French: Aussitôt que la Paix luira sur notre pays, nous relèverons nos ruines, et nous espérons bien mettre le couronnement à cette œuvre de reconstruction en élevant sur les hauteurs de la capitale de la Belgique libre et catholique, la Basilique Nationale du Sacré-Cœur.English: At once that Peace will shine on our country, we will raise our ruins, and we hope to put the crowning touch on this work of reconstruction by building on the heights of the capital of free and catholic Belgium, the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart. ”

[edit] Art Deco Basilica (1919-1969)

On 29 June 1919, King Albert I and a large crowd associated themselves with this promise in a ceremony on the Koekelberg Hill. However it was impossible to resuming Langerock's plan because of the state of public finances. A project by architect Albert Van Huffel was adopted.

Jozef-Ernest Cardinal van Roey consecrated the unfinished church on October 14, 1935, after obtaining a special authorisation from Pope Pius XI [5]. The cupola was finished in 1969 and, on 11 November 1970, the ceremony for the 25th anniversary of the episcopate of Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels Leo Cardinal Suenens marked the completion of the construction of the Basilica.

The final design by architect Albert Van Huffel won the great architecture prize at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris[6].

Detail of one of the tower the Art Deco basilica

[edit] Building

The church, on Koekelberg hill, is a landmark on the Brussels skyline. It is the largest building in Art Deco style in the world, being 89 metres high and 164,5 metres long (outside length). The cupola platform gives an excellent city panorama over Brussels and the wider area of Flemish-Brabant. The central nave is 141 metres long, and at its widest, the building is 107 metres. The cupola has a diameter of 33 metres. The church has room for 2000 people.

The building combines reinforced concrete with terracotta layering, bricks, and dimension stone. Belgian painter Anto-Carte (1886-1954) designed the eight stained glasses representing the life of Jesus [7].

[edit] Trivia

This enormous building houses Catholic Church celebrations, in both main Belgian national languages (Dutch and French), but also conferences, exhibitions (like in 2007-2008 the International Leonardo da Vinci Expo), a restaurant, a Catholic radio station, a theatre, two museums, and is a training place for speleology and climbers.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ List of largest church buildings in the world
  2. ^ Vandenbreeden. p. 13
  3. ^ a b "History of the Basilica - official website". 2008-07-07. http://www.basilique.be/admen/. Retrieved on 2009-01-10. 
  4. ^ Vandenbreeden. p. 17
  5. ^ Stéphany, Pierre (2006). "Bruxelles. La basilique de Koekelberg" (in French). La Belgique en cent coups d'oeil. Tielt: Lannoo Uitgevrij. p. 61. ISBN 2873864451. http://books.google.be/books?id=w-FlzjlvYI4C&pg=PA62&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=OP1oSdfHAoWSMp2rrKoP&hl=en#PPA61,M1. 
  6. ^ Pirlot, Anne-Marie (2004). "L'exposition de Paris (1925)". in Région de Bruxelles-capitale (in French). Modernisme art déco. Liège: Editions Mardaga. p. 15. ISBN 2870098715. http://books.google.be/books?id=BJ-pyIPyEv4C&pg=PA15&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=OP1oSdfHAoWSMp2rrKoP&hl=en#PPA15,M1. 
  7. ^ Vandenbreeden, Jos; de Puydt, Raoul M (2005). "Les Vitraux" (in French and Dutch). Basilique Koekelberg : monument art déco. Bruxelles: Editions Racine. p. 103. ISBN 9020961446. http://books.google.be/books?id=wxrg1S1nQ18C&pg=PA103&lpg=PA103. 

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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