R.K. Kerk O.L.Vr. van Zeven Smarten

English translation

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Description

Introduction.

The Roman Catholic PARISH CHURCH of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows, several interior elements of which previously already enjoyed protection under national monument number 21383, is situated on a narrow and elongated plot between the Kerkstraat and the Pastoor Huijbenplein in the old centre of Panningen. The church was built in 1930 by H.W. Valk (Den Bosch) in collaboration with building pastor J.H. Huijben and displays stylistic elements of Neo-Gothic. The relatively minor war damage (upper part of tower and two nave bays) was reconstructed according to the original in 1949 and 1951 by H.W. and G.N.F. Valk.

The remarkably large church was erected on virtually the same location where, from the middle of the seventeenth century, a Mary devotion chapel stood (the 'Kepèl', formerly the common name for Panningen). This chapel witnessed one of the busiest pilgrimages in the Duchy of Gelderland in the eighteenth century. 'Kepèl' developed in 1830 into an independent parish with a new, separate church building. This building soon became too small due to the growth of the parish and the still streaming pilgrims and was ultimately replaced in 1930 by the present church. In the choir is situated a foundation stone, laid on 27 April by G.A.H. Bauduin, which commemorates the three-hundredth year of veneration of 'Our Lady of Seven Sorrows' at that time and the centennial of the parish.

Description.

Oriented, three-aisled cruciform church of the basilical type with west tower and crossing tower beneath gabled, lean-to and encircling hipped roofs, largely provided with canted eaves. On west and crossing towers tapered, polygonal spires, crowned with wrought-iron crosses and a gilded ball with weather vane. Roofs covered with brick tiles in Maas bond. Box gutters provide drainage.

Excluding the adjoining west tower the nave counts seven bays. Adjoining the choir, situated at the place of the crossing, is a 7/12 apsidal closure. The transept arms on either side of the crossing consist of shallow but high-rising extensions and, joining these at half height, three-bay-long wings in which children's chapels were originally located. In the roof sections are several series of slightly projecting Flemish gable tops beneath abutting saddle roof tiles.

Extensions and lean-tos: on the Kerkstraat on either side of the tower are two three-sided closed chapel extensions (baptistry and Mary devotion chapel) beneath hexagonal tent roofs, crowned with stylised zinc spires; in the side aisles are four confessional extensions beneath abutting or through-running lean-to roofs; in the angle of nave and right transept arm is a sacristy with service rooms beneath a hipped roof with canted eaves; adjoining is the entrance to the former girls' chapel, as well as the entrance situated in the angle of nave and left transept arm to the former boys' chapel beneath through-running lean-to roofs; in the angle of left transept arm and apse finally is a partly embedded round stair tower with spire, crowned with a stylised zinc spire.

The brick building, constructed in English bond, is articulated and enlivened by the use of decorative brickwork such as tooth mouldings, chamfered mouse-tooth bands and stick mouldings. Furthermore occasional plaiting occurs and ashlar stones of sandstone in the shoulder pieces of several gable tops. Along the base of the side aisle and apse walls low, triangularly trowelled buttresses support the walls.

The soberly designed west tower has four storeys, separated from one another by means of cemented cornice lines. In the first storey the entrance portal, consisting of three recessed, round-arched wooden plank doors beneath coupled cord arches. Above the middle door, whose portal is enlivened with decorative brickwork, is a pointed-arched niche containing an image of the Mater Dolorosa in French limestone (circa 1860). The remaining storeys are enlivened with decorative corner blocks. In the second storey pointed-arched windows with decorative brickwork and cord arches, on the front provided with brick tracery with coloured stained glass, blind on the side facades. In the third storey a series of encircling vertical slit windows and in the fourth storey per facade wall two pointed-arched sound holes with cord arches.

In the side chapels on the Kerkstraat as well as in the apse are pointed-arched lancets. The nave has pointed-arched windows, in which a lattice of multiply coupled brick pointed arches with coloured, geometric stained glass. In the side aisles and Flemish gables on the transept arms similar windows with coupled brick lancets provided with steel rods and tiles of ceramic. Slit windows in the confessional extensions and the stair tower. In the crossing tower are pointed-arched windows; in the rear facade these are extended with a blind section, in the side facades with brick tracery, steel rods and coloured stained glass. The end gables of the side chapels have pointed-arched sugarloaf windows with steel rods and stained glass windows. The rectangular sacristy windows are provided with wrought-iron security grilles.

The church, relatively soberly designed on the outside, has a remarkably richly detailed interior, constructed in fair-faced brickwork with the use mainly of yellow and red brick for structural walls and vaults. The brickwork is enlivened by the use of tooth mouldings and plaited bands for the accentuation of arches and decorative brickwork in the highly varied vaults. The colour scheme of the colourful tiled floor in the choir harmonises in part with the stained glass windows; in the nave and side aisles is a floor of glazed tiles in block bond.

The large nave is articulated by a series of parabolic transverse arches, resting on double concrete columns with capitals coupled via arches, in which reliefs depicting the apostles are found on the nave side. Between the transverse arches are springing arches with decorative keystones leading to the clerestory windows. For the greatest possible admission of light the crown lines of the springing arches rise towards the nave. Furthermore the wall structure of the nave per bay consists of a flattened and depressed arcade arch provided with artificial stone keystone together with figure corbel with on either side, in the arch field between the pier arch and the clerestory, two neo-gothic quatrefoils.

The side aisles are articulated by pier arches resting on the aforementioned concrete columns, by mural arches resting on pilasters and by pointed transverse arches resting on corbels and are vaulted with barrel vaults. The crossing, reinforced with twisted tie rods, is vaulted with a Bohemian cap. In the masonry various pointed-arched niches. The passages to the former children's chapels situated on either side were sealed off during a modernisation in 1986.

The apse consists—as a modern variant on the medieval ambulatory—of a double shell, the inner of which, in the lower zone interrupted by two series of arcade arches positioned one above the other, connects with the crossing via a partial barrel vault. The entrance portal situated in the west tower with above situated singers' gallery opens via three pointed arches to the nave. The middle arches rest on square brick piers. In the masonry to either side a pointed arch opens to respectively the baptistry and the Mary devotion chapel, both vaulted with barrel vaults on squinches.

The church preserves a rich nationally protected inventory, part of which dates from the time of construction and part of which originates from the now demolished seventeenth-century chapel and nineteenth-century parish church. Of importance are among others: a cast-iron English staircase with wooden handrail, decorated with neo-gothic three- and quatrefoils (in the stair tower, circa 1930); marble communion rails (circa 1930); decoratively carved wooden church benches (circa 1930); painted Stations of the Cross; a wooden sacristy cabinet with cornice and bust; two oak confessionals (19th century); a black marble font with copper cover (second half of the 18th century); some oak evangelist reliefs and scroll-shaped table legs, all fragments of the now dismantled pulpit (19th century); two side altars with tiled backpanels, containing a terracotta pietà representation and a wooden St. Anna triptych (first half of the 16th century); various (now) polychromed wooden statues, including the image of Mary with child originating from the old chapel, now placed in a metal shrine (16th century), Mary with crossed hands (first half of the 19th century), a Sacred Heart image (first half of the 19th century), Mary and Anthony of Padua (second half of the 19th century), St. Lucy, John the Evangelist and St. Barbara (second half of the 19th century), the Christ child (second quarter of the 19th century), St. Maternus (first half of the 17th century); various crucifixes (18th to first half of the 19th century); various stained glass windows, such as in the former children's chapels, with in the lower zone several village scenes of Panningen (J. Mulders from Kevelaer, 1931-39). The stained glass windows in the devotion chapel and baptistry, renewed due to war damage, are by E. Laudy and date from 1954.

Evaluation.

The Roman Catholic parish church 'Our Lady of Seven Sorrows' is of general importance.

The object has cultural-historical values as a particular expression of the development and emancipation of Roman Catholicism at the beginning of the twentieth century. Furthermore on account of historical continuity, as the object continues a religious development which has manifested itself on this location for centuries through buildings for worship. The church refers in scale, function and appearance to the growth of the parish of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows and the pilgrimage history in relation to Mary devotion. Furthermore the church is of importance for the typological development of village churches in the Limburgian Peel region.

The object has architectural and art-historical values. On account of several architectural elements, such as the main layout with in part high and in part low transept arms and various types of vaulting, the object is of particular importance for the history of architecture and building technique. As a representative of a larger village church the church occupies a special place within the oeuvre of architect H.W. Valk. Furthermore the object is of importance on account of the aesthetic quality in particular of the carefully detailed interior with craftsmanlike brickwork and the qualitatively high-grade inventory from various Limburgian art studios.

The object has ensemble values as a character-defining component of the historic built environment on the Kerkstraat in Panningen. The object is of importance due to the integrity of exterior and interior and the preserved inventory. The object has rarity value on account of the typology, several architectural details and as one of the few churches built by architect H.W. Valk in Limburg.