Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Cadier en Keer

The non-oriented hall church is built in brick and has a transept arm, which was built as a children's chapel and is now closed off and converted into a day chapel. The tower stands separately from the church and dates from the 12th century. The latter is a national monument.
Building history

Predecessors
This much is clear from early history that possibly as early as the eighth, but more probably in the ninth century, there was already a small church. In the first written mention, the chapel in Cadier was listed as an auxiliary church of Heugem. From 1266 there was a charter that dealt with the 'separation of the Chapel at Cadirs'. The tower dates from the 12th century and was built of rubble stone. Around 1592 a marlstone spire with a constricted spire was erected here. It is likely that the existing reverberation holes have been closed and new reverb holes have been saved in the new section. The church had pillars from the 13th century, which were characterized as Gothic. Since the tower shows three moths of roofs, the oldest of which is Romanesque, it is probable that the first marlstone church was built well before the 13th century. During an enlargement in 1735, the church was given a new and higher roof and the aisles were extended to next to the tower. Internally, the church was provided with a stucco barrel vault and straight ceilings. The church in Cadier was affiliated with the Church of Our Lady in Maastricht, as evidenced by a number of conflicts concerning the tithes. The liturgical pieces of furniture such as the confessionals were also copied in style. In 1836 the church was extended in the form of a transept and a new choir designed by the Maastricht architect N. Hermans. The biggest changes after that were the singing stand, but for the National Monument Conservation Agency the tower and nave were especially worth placing on the monument list.

Current church
Shortly after the war it was already clear that the church was too small for the parish. In 1951, an architectural survey by architect Huysmans revealed that the church was becoming very dilapidated. The vault was partly on the verge of collapse and the roof was leaking. When in 1952 the stucco in the transept was removed by order of various architects, the longhorn beetle damage in the roof of the nave was so great that the church could no longer be used. Masses were then held in the village square, with the kiosk acting as a choir. In case of bad weather, the faithful moved to the concert hall. Subsequently, pastor E. Frissen managed to get the church removed from the list of national monuments. This paved the way for demolition and new construction. The tower remained on the list and had to be preserved. Frissen was looking for an architect, preferably Peutz, Boosten or Huysmans. It became Huysmans and he initially designed a church, in which the nave could be partially preserved. But both the costs of the restoration and the necessary heavy foundations under the choir due to the decay of the terrain turned out to be the reasons for the cancellation of these designs. The design was modified. The foundation stone was laid on 27 October 1957 by Dean Hoogers van Gronsveld. It was inaugurated on 13 July 1958 by Missionary Bishop Mgr. H. Paulissen. In the meantime, they worshipped in the warehouse of the Ackermans company. The presbytery now obscured the view of the church. That is why it was also demolished and replaced by a design by Huysmans. He also took care of the restoration of the tower.

Changes
The children's chapel is closed off with opaque but translucent material and furnished as a day chapel. The baptistery was set up in the tower, but in 1978 that use was a thing of the past. At a later date, possibly before 1984, a Marian devotional chapel was set up in the tower.

Exterior
The church is covered by a gable roof with improved Dutch tiles. The roof extends on the presbytery side. Above the chancel, the roof has been broken open and ends in a pent roof on both sides, separated by a wall broken with windows. The rainwater flows away through gutters. The walls of the church are made of brick and are processed in a random pattern. The gable of the entrance side is broken by three windows with a twill arch. Underneath is a porch with a twill arch. The wooden doors are lined with windows. The façade on the presbytery side is opened by windows under a twill arch. The sacristy is located next to the choir. It is located under the roof of the church, so it is not recognizable as such. The right façade is broken by windows under a twill arch. The transept arm runs under the roof and can be entered through a door on the street side. There are also windows under a twill arch. On this side is the unarticulated tower. The underside is built in rubble stone, above that is a superstructure made of marl. The constricted needle spire is covered with slates. The tower is entered to the west through an entrance shielded by a glass door. A window has been made on the east side. Above you can see the needs of previous church buildings. The choir façade consists of a broken gable, the highest part of which has a clocher arcade. The transept arm is lit here by windows under a twill arch. On the other side, the sacristy receives light from three windows under a twill arch.

Interior
The church is entered through a draft portal, which is closed on two sides by doors, which are bordered by glass under twill arches. The portal gives access to under the choir stand, which is placed against the back wall of the church on steel columns. A staircase leads to the grandstand, which is bordered by a railing. The wall is broken by three windows under twill arches. The open roof truss of the church is panelled with red plates and is supported by trusses of H-beams, which run along the walls via the roof. Between the trusses, windows are placed under a twill arch, so that bays are suggested. Because the roof on the presbytery side continues further downwards and because the axial bench plan here is separated from the two other bench blocks by a path, a side aisle is suggested. This is reinforced by the Marian altar against the sacristy and the confessionals at the back of the church. Above the altar of the Virgin Mary are windows with dark glass. The choir is separated by the elevation beginning in the constriction and by a triumphal arch, which is composed of three twill arches and two pillars. In the centre of a supedaneum is a celebration altar, against the closing wall is the historic high altar with predella. The choir receives light from windows, which are positioned in the elevation above the choir. Underneath are bricks in the walls, which are fitted with white trespa and dark glasses in the saving fields. There may have been a singing chapel behind this. On the right side of the choir is the same triumphal arch as a separation to the day chapel, the former children's chapel. A partition has been built in the arch with white plates and sliding doors with translucent plastic. The day chapel is lit on two sides by windows with a twill arch. On the floor up to the choir are the slabs of bluestone, which come from the old church. The children's pews are still in use, there is no permanent place for the celebration altar. A vestibule behind wooden doors gives access to the outdoors.

(Source: Dr A. Jacobs and Drs. A.A. Wiekart – Churches after 1940. Inventory and valuation of ecclesiastical architecture after 1940 – Roermond – Stichting Monumentenhuis Limburg, 2003).

Eijsden-Margraten