Church of Our Lady of Har

The Church of our Lady of Harscamp(Notre-Dame d’Harscamp), located in Saint-Nicolas Street, at the heart of the old Namur, is a Renaissance church style, built in the year 1750. Classified in the major aupatrimoine of Wallonia in 1936, it was desecrated in the year 2004. The Church today is the cultural space of Harscamp.

Origin and history

A former collegiate church of the high middle ages is replaced by the Church that build the minors brothers recollects to 1224. On the same location is where the new church of our lady is built. The plans were designed by the architect Jean Maljean and site opens in the year 1750. The Church was consecrated by the Bishop of Namur, Paul-Godefroi of  Berlo in Franc-Douaire, January 13, 1753.

Architecture

The Church's façade is the work of the same architect Namur, Jean Maljean. In Classic renaissance style, she wore the coats of arms of the minor’s brothers recollets and of Charles of the Lorraine: they were damaged during the French Revolution.

Heritage

A large part of the furniture comes from the old church of the Franciscan religious. The furniture of the eighteenth century, is for its large part the Denis-Georges Bayar work, a Namur artist from the very parish of Notre Dame.

• The high altar comes from the previous Church. The marble base is topped with a piece of painted wood work; It is due to Denis - Georges Bayar. There is also the communion bench, closing choir, black marble Saint-Remy and the two statues that are there, faith and hope.

• The choir box is a wood that is finely worked, even if they have kept their appearance sober and rough.

• The paintings decoration on the walls of the choir are the works of Joseph van Severdonck: they illustrate the scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary

•  Among the tombstones of the important families of Namur, we notice above all those of the marquis of Namur, Guillaume I (1324-1391), his wife Catherine of Savoy (+ 1388) and his son Guillaume II (1345-1418).

•  The jube is large. Dating from the second half of the eighteenth century, it carries excellent organ.

source https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glise_Notre-Dame_d%27Harscamp