St. Remigiuskerk

English translation

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Description

Introduction

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH of St. Remigius, 1924-1926. Built in a historicising style influenced by neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic, to a design by architects ir. Joseph Cuypers and ir. Pierre Cuypers, to replace the water authority church dating from 1832. Built on commission of the R.C. Church Council of St. Remigius. Serving as building owners were vicar V. Roebroeck and chaplain G.J.H. Peerboom. Contractor was Turlings from Pey-Echt. The foundation stone was laid on 27 July 1924. The church was completed in 1926 and consecrated by the Bishop of Roermond Mgr. Lemmens on 15 June 1932.

In 1938 a new sacristy was built by contractor Pernot from Grevenbicht, to a design by architect Joseph Cuijpers. War damage to tower, roof and windows from explosive and incendiary bombs, 4 October 1942.

Removal of the three church bells, January 1943. September 1944 a second damage to tower and church windows. 1947, placement of socle with image of the Immaculate Conception on the right side of the church building. Construction of a natural stone boundary wall, 1947. Restoration of the tower by contractor Coppes, 1956. The church was renovated in 1976.

Description

Cross church with three-aisle basilical nave, expanded chapels on the transept arms, side aisles under set-back half-hipped roofs, adjoining sacristy on the south side of the apse and dominant west tower. Slightly profiled plinths, slender buttresses.

The central nave, the transept arms as well as the set-back half-hipped roofs of the side aisles are provided with gabled roofs. Crossing tower. Chimneys on the ridge of the transept arms and the sacristy. The expanded chapels and the apse are covered by a hipped roof. The sacristy has a combined hipped and gabled roof construction. The tower has a gabled roof construction, on which a tapering spire. The spire and the crossing tower are covered with slates in Maas covering, the remaining roof surfaces with Tuiles du Nord.

Rectangular, round, round-arched, rose-shaped and keyhole-shaped steel windows with small glazing bars and protective grillework. Segmental arched steel sacristy windows, with small glazing bars and stained-glass fanlights. Segmental arched, partly double wooden doors in pointed arch mouldings, provided with plasterwork in the fill pieces.

Mergel sculptural work in the arch fields of the western main entrance, executed by Schiffeleers in Maastricht.

Round-arched sound holes.

The outer walls, tower and load-bearing structural parts are constructed of Nievelsteiner sandstone. The inner walls and vaults are of mergel, on a plinth of Kunrader stone. Furthermore granite, hard stone and wood have been used.

The church including tower is 55 metres long, 22 metres wide, the roof gutter reaches a height of 17 metres, the ridge a height of 25 metres. The masonry of the tower is 42 metres high, the spire has a height of 20 metres and the cross measures 3 metres, a total height of 65 metres.

Copper weathercock of 0.82 centimetre. The central nave plus apse measures 50 metres in length, 10 metres in width.

The church is surrounded by a boundary wall dating from 1947 in Kunrader stone.

Foundation of reinforced concrete. The tower is provided with 13 reinforced concrete bracing bands, recognisable on the outside by small rubble stone layers. The pillars each stand in the foundation on a separate base, 2.80 metres square, at a depth of 1.80 metres. Chain anchors in outer walls and tower. Bell frame with bell by J.B.N. and F.A. Gaulard, 1833.

The nave is provided on each side with three transverse arches and comprises three bays in the light aisles. Each bay is spanned by an original vault in mergel. These vaults rest at a thickness of 17 to 18 centimetres and taper to approximately 10 centimetres. From the octagonal pillars emerges, through progressive corbelling, a supporting colonnette which at the vault springer becomes a threefold division: the colonnette, from which the elliptical groin rises, and two corbels from which the groins of the light vault emerge. Above the crown of the depressed transverse arches a corbel introduces the same threefold division. The transverse arches rest on pillars with stylised capitals.

Further, in the INTERIOR are among others of importance the marble high altar, originating from the water authority church, with the later tabernacle and the exposition throne by the firm Kersten in Maastricht; oak-wood altar of Mary, 19th century, executed by the Gebrs. Ramakers in Geleen; the side altar of sandstone and wood, early 20th century, executed by Houtermans in Roermond; the marble altar of St. Joseph, c. 1926; the marble altar of St. Gerardus with polychrome wooden image of saint, c. 1926; a hard stone baptismal font, 1570; a black marble baptismal font, c. 1700, with yellow bronze cover (c. 1800); between both baptismal fonts a relief in porcelain of St. John the Baptist; the former communion rail, now balustrade of the choir, 1870, executed by the Gebrs. Ramakers in Geleen; seventeen oak-wood church pews, second half of the 18th century; a credence table in wood with grey-white marble top, 18th century; various polychrome wooden images of saints, 1800-early 20th century; a painted sandstone image of the Sacred Heart, 1874, executed by Joseph Thissen; a Barbara image in chamotte clay, mid-20th century, executed by Charles Eijck; a wooden image, flanked by two reliefs, of St. Theresa of Lisieux, mid-20th century, executed by J. Weerts; a corpus of polychrome wood, mid-19th century, originating from the old high altar; a polychrome wooden triumphal cross in the crossing, c. 1925; stained-glass windows by Prof. Jos Stassen in Rolduc (among them eight in the priest choir: five narrow windows from 1957, three upper windows in the choir, 1975); the two rose windows in the transept arms by Atelier Felix in Maastricht; fourteen stations of the cross, painted on linen, c. 1860, probably originating from France; a yellow bronze Sanctuary lamp, 1841, executed by W. Gebhard in Maastricht.

Valuation

The R.C. Church of St. Remigius in Schimmert is of cultural-historical value as a special expression of spiritual development. The architectural-historical values are great because of the building style and the vault construction technique. The church is of particular importance for the oeuvre of architects Joseph and Pierre Cuypers, possesses high-quality aesthetic qualities, is characterised by the use of regional building materials and is important because of the special coherence between exterior and interior. The church is of very special significance for the appearance of the South Limburgian plateau region, is in a sound state and is of great importance in relation to the structural integrity of the village building and the visual integrity of the rural surroundings. Moreover, the church of St. Remigius possesses considerable regional architectural-historical rarity values.