Basilica di San Martin

St. Martin Basilica is a Catholic religious building located on the Publémont, in Liege, Belgium. A Romanesque building of the Tenth century, already known as Saint Martin Collegiate Church, was replaced by a new Church of Gothic style in the 16th century. It is one of the seven old Liège College.

The first church was celebrated for the first time, in the year 1246, the Corpus Christi. Given the historic significance of this event, even today commemorated annually, the collegiate church was raised to the rank of a minor Basilica in the year1886.

History

The legend

Eracle, who enjoyed a great credit in the Court of Otto I, accompanied this emperor in Italy when he went to be crowned by the Pope Jean XII. It was during this trip that the Bishop of Liège felt the first attacks of illness that was soon to cause him terrible pain. His body became covered little by little with ulcers which gnawed him, and the doctors had lost hope of salvation. When Eracle learned about the numerous cures that took places at Tours on the tomb of Saint Martin, he resolved to go on a pilgrimage. He was already seven days, using tears, young people, vigils and prayers for his recovery, when suddenly, during his sleep, St. Brice and St. Martin appeared to him and they clothed him with their Pontifical rob. The latter approached Eracle, touched it with his pastoral staff and told him:

« My Brother in liege, our Lord Jesus Christ heals you and to your health by an effect of his infinite mercy. So, stand and show our brothers the canons the divine omnipotence; order them to thank the highest, to sing his praises with the devout people, and receive you in perpetuity among their colleagues. For you, celebrate the divine office tomorrow, so that those who you have seen you close to succumb under the weight of your  headaches rekindle confidence in the rescue of their boss »

— Jean Bertholet, Histoire de l'institution de la Fête-Dieu.

 Jean Bertholet, the history of the institution of Corpus Christi.

The vision disappeared, and the sick Bishop awoke, full of health, to the astonishment of his own. The canons of the Church Tours ran immediately,to examined the wound, and found only a scar still slightly red. At the sound of this miracle, the strongest cheers resounded throughout the city. The next day, Eracle said mass in the Church and then took the road of liege

Sometime after, said the Bishop in the narration he himself left of this event, losing point the memory of the reported benefit that I had received from God through the intercession of saint Martin, I build in his honor, in the city of Liege, a church in a place called top (in 962); I made it a dedication, I provide it very-richly with my own property, and I are established thirty canons, of Chaplains and parish priest to celebrate the divine office according to the giggle and the usage of the Church.

The origine

Le 2 juin 965, Éracle, évêque de Liège, délivre l'acte de fondation sur le Publémont d'un édifice destiné à devenir la nouvelle cathédrale de Liège, consacrée à la Vierge-Marie et à saint Lambert. Mais Notger, son successeur, décide de dédier le sanctuaire à saint Martin et lui confère le statut de collégiale.

On the 2^nd of June 965, Eracle, the Bishop of Liège, delivers the founding act on the top of a Publémont destined to become the new Cathedral of Liège, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and saint Lambert. But Notger, his successor, decided to dedicate the sanctuary at St. Martin and confer to him the status of Collegiate church.

In 1312, on the night of 3^rd-4^th of August the people, supported by the Cathedral chapter, set the collegiate church of Saint-Martin on fire, in which dozens of nobles who died in the fire had taken refuge. The event is known as the name of the måle Saint-Martin.

Today, there are none left of the original primitive Romanesque church which was replaced in the 16th century by the present Gothic building whose construction work has spread from 1506 to 1542, during the reign of prince-Bishop Erard of Marck, According to the Paul of Ryckel plans.

The Corpus Christi

It was in Saint-Martin that Corpus Christi was instituted, and celebrated liturgically for the first time in the year 1246, following the steps taken by Julienne of Cornillon and the eve of St. Martin recluse. Over the centuries, the Eucharistic cult took to the collegiate church a considerable importance, manifested particularly by the establishment of the confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, which was strengthened from 1765 by the brotherhood of the Perpetual Adoration and the construction of a chapel reserved for Eucharistic worship, the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.

A Kind of the Holy of Holies, this Chapel benefited from the generous attention of the members of the College chapter and was admired by the visitors of Liège. The chapel was decorated with the paintings of the great artists Jean Del Cour and Englebert Fisen. They are dispersed in the revolution.

The Basilicas of Liège

La collégiale Saint-Martin a rang de basilique et plus précisément de basilique mineure, non pas comme le veut une légende urbaine comme seconde église de Liège de rang après la cathédrale, mais parce qu'elle est lieu de pèlerinage de la Fête-Dieu depuis 1246, titre qui lui a été conféré par le bref du pape Léon XIII le 9 mai 1886.

The Collegiate Church of St. Martin has the rank of a Basilica and specifically of minor Basilica, not as an urban legend as the second church of Liège in rank after the Cathedral, but because it is a place of pilgrimage of Corpus Christi since 1246, title which was conferred by the brief of Pope Léon XIII on the 9^th of may 1886.

 Heritage

In this building, we can admire the Calvary at the beginning of the sixteenth century, the mausoleum of Eracle, Notre-Dame of Saint-Severin, beautiful polychrome wooden statue of the XVIth century, the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, decorated with medallions of Jean Del Court, the shrine of the blessed Eve, the memories of Corpus Christi, and, in the crypt, the lying black marble of Theux representing the Provost of Saint-Martin, Conrad of Gavre (1602).

After many ups and downs, the current church date from the 16th century and contains, in its chorus, five windows of Renaissance.

Restored in 1840 and in 1871, it has been a Basilica since 1886.

source https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilique_Saint-Martin_de_Li%C3%A8ge