Cathedral Notre Dame, Luxembourg

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The main cathedral in Luxembourg City is worth a look. It is set very close to the city center and is easily identified by its two large spires. The interior was very large in the tradition of European cathedrals. As we entered, Christmas music was being played. There are several cathedrals bearing the name "Notre Dame" in the world, however I believe that this is one of the better ones. The catheral does contain a crypt, although it was not open while we were visiting. There is no admission charge to enter the church.

This cathedral is located in the city centre. The ancient part was the college of Jesuits. The Belgian Jesuites opened a college in the city of Luxembourg in 1603. The plans for this church were drawn by the Jesuit Jean du Blocque and the construction is due to Ulrich Lob from Luzern (Schweiz).
The bishop of Trier Georg von Helffenstein consacrated the church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception.
The Jesuit order was suppressed in 1773. In 1778 Empress Maria-Theresa, queen of the Austrian Netherlands, to which Luxembourg belonged, entrusted the ancient church to the city of Luxembourg. The church took the name of Saint Nicolas et Sainte Thérèse.
During the French Revolution, the statue of Notre-Dame, protector of the city and of the country, was located in this new church. The French army occupied Luxembourg and the church was entitled to Saint Pierre.
The church became a cathedral in 1870.
The annual pilgrimage to Notre-Dame du Luxembourg, Consolatrice des Affligés is celebrated from the 3rd to the 5th Sunday after Easter.
The Cathedral is open from 10 to 12 am and from 2 to 5.30 pm, except during celebrations. The entrance is free.

This photo is rather bad, because it was raining a lot, so I took it in a hurry.

It's a very bad photo, due to the sun shining in directly behind the painting. The painting is an early Rubens, depicting the admiration of Christ by the three kings. For a church, this is a great treasure to have such a precious painting. It reminds me of the Rubens paintings in the Pieterskerk in Antwerp.

Perched on the edge of one of the cliffs in Luxembourg in is the Notre Dame Cathedral. This magnificent Gothic structure was built between 1613 and 1621. It holds the royal family vault and the huge sarcophagus of John the Blind, in addition to a remarkable treasury (it can only be viewed on request, so ask the sacristan, whose office is on the right as you enter).

An annual ceremony on the fifth Sunday following Easter takes place called the Octave of Our Lady of Luxembourg, Thousands of pilgrims arrive to pray to the miraculous statue of the Holy Virgin for protection. They then form a procession to carry the statue from the cathedral through the streets to an alter covered with flowers in the av. de la Porte Neuve.

A l'origine, la cathédrale était une église jésuite, dont la première pierre fut posée en 1613. L'église constitue un exemple remarquable du gothique tardif, tout en présentant divers éléments et ornementations de style Renaissance. A la fin du XVIIIe siècle, elle accueillit la statue miraculeuse de la Consolatrice des Affligés, patronne du pays et de la ville de Luxembourg. 50 ans plus tard, l'église reçut le titre sacré de Notre-Dame et, en 1879, le pape Pie IX l'éleva au rang de cathédrale. Entre 1935 et 1938, la cathédrale Notre-Dame fut agrandie sur son côté sud.

In 1613 Jesuits decided to build here a church but they shouldn't know that one day it will become Cathedral to the Blessed Virgin and all people will call it "Notre Dame". It is built in late Gothis style mixed with rennaisance. Especially the vitrages and towers are great. However, it was renovated becaue on of the tower was burnt some tens of years. In 18th CT century there was adopted the picture of the Lady Comforter of the Afflicted who made miracles and she was the patron saint of the city and the country. And finally in 19th CT Pope Pius XI dedicated the cathedral to Virgin Mary. Later there was a little enlargement and nowadays there are several places to see inside such as the grave of duke, cathedral itself and also downstairs.

Cathedral to the Blessed Virgin
It was established in 1613 but at that time it was just a small church but in eighteenth century it was renovated and extended. You can see the late Gothic style structure and no doubt it is very impressive. It was after that became cathedral.

Here is another shot from the inside of a Luxembourg church and a tip on Luxembourg City's nightlife. There are a ton of pubs and cafes in this city of fun, plenty of places to enjoy the evening having a drink, singing songs, and making friends. Some of the most popular are the Traders Café on 9 Rue Bisserwée, and Yesterdays on 6 Rue de la Loge.

You've got to go into some of the lovely churches in the city center. They are really different from others I've seen in Europe. They may have been more modern, maybe more simplistic, nonetheless, they were nice. In the main square Place d’Armes, you will find the wonderful Cathedrale Notre-Dame. Continue in the direction of the train station and you will come across Rue du Marche aux Herbes and the Grand Ducal Palace, home to the Grand Ducal Family. Finally, one other nice church is the Citadelle du St-Esprit which is located at the Plateau du St Esprit. This place offers outstanding views of the valleys and landscapes of the city.

There are some really fine looking churches throughout Luxembourg, and especially the ones right around the center of the Luxembourg's old town. The cows, flowers, and architecture is just great! Luxembourg is great isn't it? I think it is, the clean streets, neatly trimmed hedges, bushes, and trees, it's all very nice.