Saint Christopher Cathedral

The statue on the St. Christopher Cathedral carries many Roermonders with it, literally and figuratively. This stately Gothic cross basilica dates back to 1410.
Roermond has been a bishopric city since 1559, a welcome development after the city had suffered a severe fire. The church withstood the Iconoclastic Fury, looting by the troops of William of Orange, several fierce storms, and an earthquake.
Moreover, the tower burned down completely several times after being struck by lightning. But these events were not even the cause of the heaviest destruction of the church, as it endured on February 28, 1945.
The Germans blew up the tower to prevent English troops from using it as a lookout point. The church was left as a ruin. One day later, Roermond was liberated, but it wasn't until 1957 that the reconstruction of the church was completed.
In that year, the St. Christopher statue was also created, which, in its golden shine, seemingly unwavering, still prominently stands high on the tower of the cathedral.
The statue is particularly special for the city, as it literally carries the inhabitants of Roermond with it: they were given the chance to record their name on a roll of parchment that was placed in a tube of the statue when it was hoisted.

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