Saint-Médard Church

St. Médard Church – Jodoigne
Saint-Médard Street • 1370 Jodoigne
This church, built from the 13th to the 15th century, represents the main and oldest religious building of the Jodoigne entity. The Saint-Médard neighborhood already had a temple entrusted to the order of the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem as early as 1173. A few years later, they decided to construct a new church, much larger than the previous one. It is said that, during the new construction, a mysterious force transported the materials overnight to the nearby hill, at the current location of St. Médard Church. Back then, no one dared to oppose the will of the divine forces...
Having been constructed over two centuries, St. Médard Church remarkably illustrates the transition and coexistence of Romanesque and Gothic styles. Originally intended to become a collegiate church and thus to house an assembly of religious decision-makers, it was built on the plan of a massive Christian cross, characteristic of Romanesque architecture. Quartzite from Dongelberg was used to construct the initial elements, but it was soon replaced by Gobertange stone as well as Mosa limestone, which gave St. Médard Church its characteristic brightness.
Located outside the city walls, St. Médard Church was severely damaged at various times. It was restored at the end of the 19th century. The vast cemetery surrounding it was turned into a park in the early 20th century. The church underwent another major restoration in the 1970s. It has been classified as a monument since 1936.
The reliquary of the treasure of St. Médard Church
The church houses a superb silver reliquary (a chest containing relics) made in the 17th century. In March 1660, the magistrates, tradesmen, and burghers of Jodoigne decided to have a silver reliquary made to house the relics of St. Médard (his lower jaw) and St. Cornelius (one of his phalanges) preserved in St. Médard Church. The ten subjects presented on the panels of the reliquary evoke all the devotions dear to the people of Jodoigne at that time. Among the treasures of St. Médard Church are also the 17th-century silver mitre and crozier, which adorn the statue of St. Médard on the days of his feast and procession.

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