Saint Pancratius Church

The oldest archival document, in which something about ecclesiastical Heerlen is mentioned, is in the Archives Nationales in Paris and is a deed of donation from 1065 from the bishop Udo van Toul, lord of the allodium Heerlen, to the diocese of Toul.
It mentions that in 1049 there was a St. Andreas chapel in Heerlen, which together with a chapel in Welten belonged to the main church in Voerendaal.
On October 22, 2017, Bishop Frans Wiertz performed one of his last acts as bishop before enjoying a well-deserved retirement.
He has come especially to the St. Pancratius Church, where he has been pastor/dean for so long, to bless a statue of St. James the Greater. The Brotherhood of Saint James the Greater from Roermond also traveled, in full regalia, to Heerlen to accompany Mgr. Wiertz and to witness the consecration of the Statue of James.
The statue that Peter Schunck from Heerlen had made especially for this church by his fellow cityman, the sculptor Sjaak Teunissen, is of a Jacobus in the traditional form as a pilgrim. James does wear a remarkable azure robe.
The statue is placed in a niche above the north door in the tower. It is striking how small the image is. The reason for this donation was the successful pilgrimage that Peter Schunck, from Heerlen, made in 2012, together with his wife Marlène. After her death, he did this again in 2015, on his own.
InformationFor information about celebrations and services, please consult the website.

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