St. Nicholas Church - Eupen

The Catholic parish and deanery church was built between 1721 and 1729 in Renaissance style to a design by the Aachen architect Mefferdatis.

The lower part of the southern tower is a remnant of a Gothic church from the 12th century ; it is one of the oldest buildings in Eupen. The interior is in the Baroque style of Aachen and Liège. The three-aisled hall church is impressive by its grandeur and the valuable furnishings.

The Baroque high altar was donated by the citizens of Eupen, mainly the cloth merchants, and was built in the years 1740 to 1744 to a design by the Aachen architect Johann Joseph Couven.
The high altar shows an exceptionally well-developed iconography : half-reliefs of the twelve apostles carved in wood on six columns; in the middle statues of Saint Nicholas and Saint Lambert; above them the Trinity: Christ with the cross, God the Father, the globe at their feet and as a crowning conclusion the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove in a halo.

The communion bench dates from 1740 and has been divided in two at the aisle since the renovation in 1980, separating the church space from the altar space. The bench is one of the most valuable pieces in the church and consists of frames in black marble, set with 12 brass bas-reliefs and filled with 48 small brass pillars.
Six of the so-called balusters were used for the pedestal of the new sacrificial altar during the renovation. They carry a black dark marble top of about 750 kg.

The two side altars are also baroque and correspond in style and execution to the high altar. The statues are from the 19th century; on the right we see the Annunciation and on the left the Holy Mary with her mother, the Holy Anne.

The pulpit, built around 1730, is one of the oldest works of art in the church. It is decorated with images of Christ the Redeemer, Mary Mother of God and Saint Joseph.
The back wall is provided with a flat relief of Saint Nicholas and leads to the so-called sounding board that is crowned with a figure of the blessing Father of God on the globe. On the bottom of the sounding board hangs the dove of the Holy Spirit in a halo. The railing of the pulpit steps is charming with its openwork woodcarving.

In the period between 1730 and 1850, a total of 84 church pews were made in the same style from oak . The order for their production and the financing were partly done by the city government and partly by influential citizens. If necessary, they could be rented permanently. Tenants and donors then had their names carved into the wood; this is how we still get an image of the then notables of the city.

The colossal domed cross vault is supported by fourteen columns.

In 1771, the beautiful confessionals decorated with rococo woodcarving were built. They were made by master carpenters from Eupen. At the top of the two front ones, you can see the coats of arms of the donors.

The first large organ was built between 1760 and 1763. In the years that followed, the organ was repeatedly renovated, restored and technically expanded, most recently in 1966. The current organ of the St. Nicholas Church has virtually nothing in common with the original organ.

Willem Vandenameele