Basilica of Saint Maternus

The Madonna of Walcourt

According to a local legend, Maternus of Cologne (c. 285–315) was passing through Walcourt during his efforts to Christianise the area and founded an oratory here. He also is said to have carved a wooden Madonna to replace an earlier pagan idol that had been worshiped by the locals.[1] Supposedly, the oratory was destroyed by Vikings. It is possible that such an oratory existed, but no traces have been found of it.[2] A Romanesque Madonna is preserved in the church, and Walcourt developed into a popular pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages due to the presence and supposed miraculous properties of the Madonna.[3][4] The Madonna was dated, using radiocarbon analysis, from c. 957–1020,[5][6][7][8] It is made of lime wood, and since the 12th or 13th century it has been covered with silver plating; since the 16th or 17th century it has been dressed in the tradition of Spanish Marian sculptures.[6][7] Legend recounts how the Madonna was miraculously saved from a fire in 1220, and mysteriously transported by angels and found in the branches of a tree outside the town. A monastery (abbaye du Jardinet; destroyed by French revolutionary troops in 1793 and closed in 1796) was founded on the site where the Madonna was rediscovered.[9] Since then, an annual procession takes place between the basilica and the site of the former monastery.[4]

Legend apart, the earliest written source related to the church in Walcourt dates from 1 June 1026, when the church was consecrated by Bishop Réginhard of Liège. The construction of the church was financed by the local lord Oduin and his wife Erembruge. They also provided funds for a community of six canons tied to the church.[1] Because most archival sources have been lost, burnt or destroyed in wars, the detailed history of the church is difficult to retrace.[1] In 1355, a man named Gilles Dameaussins from Namur was in charge of construction works at the church. In 1477 the church was pillaged and badly damaged by soldiers from France and the Duchy of Lorraine. Funds were set aside for repairs several times during the late 15th and early 16th century by the Prince-Bishops of Liège. In 1481, a man named Jehan de Franchimont is described as being in charge of roof repairs.[9] During this period, two of the richest furnishings of the church were also installed, the rood screen (1531) which according to tradition was donated by Emperor Charles V, and the choir stalls (1510–1520).[3][9] Until 1561, the church belonged to the Diocese of Liège, and since then it has been part of the Diocese of Namur.[1] In 1615, the church was again damaged by fire and subsequently repaired. Following the Battle of Jemappes in 1792, French troops for a short while used the church as a barracks.[9] A large-scale renovation was initiated in the 1850s and lasted almost the entire 19th century.[10] In August 1914, the church was damaged by German artillery during World War I, and again in May 1940, during World War II, it was damaged during the fighting.[11] Since 1941 it has been a listed building, and since 1950 classified as a minor basilica.[11]

The rood screen of the church is in a late Gothic style and was installed in 1531. It displays the coat of arms of Emperor Charles V, six statues and more than 20 smaller statues. Above it is a rood cross with depictions of Mary and John the Evangelist. The choir stalls, located in the chancel, are also Gothic. The 40 seats are made of oak and decorated with misericords, including one which depicts the alleged miracle of the Madonna of Walcourt being transported to safety in a tree when the church was ravaged by fire.[7]