Holset (L): H.H.
Lambertus en Genoveva
On
the top of a hill is where this pictoresque little Romanesque
church is standing. It was founded in 1136 by emperor Lotharius,
probably as a replacement for an older wooden church which was
built at the site of a former temple dedicated to the pagan god
Bal. This same location is believed to be where the Romans defeated
the Eburon people in the year 53.
The tower and the western part of the nave probably date from
the 12th century. The nave was later extended to the east with
a small choir, while also a rectangular sacristy was added to
the back of that. The upper part of the tower was rebuilt in
1736 by Willem Mertzenich, who also designed the current spire.
In 1884-1887 the church was drastically restored by architect
J. Kayser.
Apparently the church, which could accomodate 160 people, was
big enough for the village as it was not enlarged. Kayser however
did replace large parts of the walls and reconstructed the Romanesque
windows. At the north side the walls show a clear difference
between old and new; the lower halves are made up of irregular
pieces of natural stone while the upper halves show a much more
regular pattern.
In 1916 a chapel was added to the north side of the tower,while
a new entrance was made at the south side of the tower. |