St. Paul's Church

St. Paul's Church, a bit of history
The construction of the current St. Paul's Church Vaals from 1892-1893. When the church building from 1833 became too small, the church council turned to the bishop with the request to be allowed to build a new church. On February 20, 1890, the bishop of Roermond (Mgr. Fr. Boermans) gave the approval for the construction on a site along the Kerkstraat/Linden-straat.
For the design of the new church, the architect J. Kayser from Maastricht was engaged. On May 9, 1892, the foundation stone was laid on behalf of the bishop by Dean van Oppen. On August 4, 1893, the cross was hoisted on the church tower and on Sunday, August 20, the baptism of the three church bells took place. On Tuesday, October 24, 1893, the church was consecrated by Bishop Mgr. Fr. Boermans.
Neo-Gothic Cruciform BasilicaThe church is a neo-Gothic cruciform basilica: a high central nave (20 metres) and a lower aisle on both sides, separated by a row of columns. The central nave of the rectangular building is closed off by a three-sided extension (chancel).
When the new church was put into use, the remarkable situation that the medieval church tower of the Catholic Church was used simultaneously by two Christian churches came to an end: in 1669/1671 the Dutch Reformed Congregation had built its new church against the north façade of the Catholic church tower (simultaneous use).
The tower is 63 meters high and the cross 6 meters. The small Angelus tower is 15 meters high and houses the baptismal bell from 1834.
The showpiece of St. Paul's Church is the High AltarThe altarpieces from left to right depict the sacrifice of Melchisedech, the sacrifice of Abraham who wants to sacrifice his son Isaac and the Last Supper; then the wedding of Cana, the rain of manna in the desert, and the Passover meal of the Jews just before the Exodus from Egypt.
The oak polychrome altar was made in atelier Houtermans in Roermond (around 1893). The altar of sacrifice was made by the carpentry company Ulrich Prange after a design by the Vaalser artist Franz Griesenbrock. The corpus (in ceramics) is also by his hand.
The stained glass windows at the main altartwo windows were donated by the ladies Henriëtte and Pauline Tyrell and their brother Heinrich (cost 3000 marks), designed by G.J. Bentz and made in the Königliche Bayerische Glasmalerei Zettler in Munich. The third (middle) was donated by a stranger (1700 marks). In 1901 the remaining two windows in the chancel were purchased from donations from the parishioners.
The stained-glass tableau: 'The Descent from the Cross of Christ'At the back of the church, at the entrance to the rood screen, the stained glass tableau: The Descent from the Cross of Christ. After P. Rubens and painted by the Vaals painter Franz Griesenbrock and made in the studio 'Joelle d'Alsace' in Lanaeken.
The Bells
In August 1893 the three large bells were placed in the tower by the F. Otto bell foundry in Hemelingen-Bremen (Germany). The bells weigh respectively 1300, 750 and 410 kg and are cast in an alloy of 78% copper and 22% tin including the fixtures at a cost of 6000 marks.
Restorations
Because the St. Paul's Church is located right next to the Kerkstraat, it is extra sensitive to the influences of traffic. Whereas in 1892/93 only horse and carriage came through the street, the increasing traffic of cars, tourist coaches and heavy trailers to supply the shops formed a real attack on the stability of the church building, causing the wall to expand by 10 centimeters at the top. Tie rods have neutralized this problem. Several major restorations have already taken place.

Tourist Board South Limburg (Visit Zuid-Limburg)