Eglise Saint Nicolas - La Roche-en-Ardenne

At the end of the 19th century, La Roche-en-Ardenne was a jewel in the tourist Ardennes and had to have the most beautiful and largest church in the region .

The remarkable neo-Gothic building that now stands in the center of the city was inaugurated in 1901. It was built on the site of an older church with a baroque spherical bell tower that made it famous for a long time.

You will love the light that surrounds the big ship, surrounded by a thousand bright areas of color. The stained glass windows by Louis-Marie Londot (1980) are particularly vivid. The background music cheerfully accompanies everyone who enters, reminding us that the church is known for concerts . Here the organ sets the tone, especially that of the altar. An impressive German instrument with 4300 tubes and an architect designed case.

Many of the countless paintings and sculptures will touch you for the quality. Beginning with the large polychrome altarpiece of the choir. We can admire (in relief) the Marriage of Cana and the Multiplication of Loaves on either side of the tabernacle, as well as the Baptism of Jesus and the Last Supper (painted tables) and a frieze depicting the portrait of the 12 apostles .

To the right and left of the choir are two linden statues representing the Virgin Mary and Saint Nicholas , the parish's patron saint. The pictures were taken by Renier Panhay de Rendeux. Highly recommended is the 16th-century baptismal font and a majestic pulpit with alabaster statues. Not forgetting the lining of the central corridor, a mosaic of 100,000 slabs of slate that form an extraordinary tapestry of anthracite stars.

Willem Vandenameele