Rolduc

Rolduc is the name of the largest surviving monastic complex of the Netherlands. He stands above the worm valley on the edge of Kerkrade in Limburg, close to the German -Dutch border between Kerkrade and Herzogenrath. The building complex is recognized as Rijksmonument.

The name derives from the French Rolduc name for Herzogenrath, Rode -le- Duc, from. The German name of the monastery is Klosterrath.

History

The monastery Rolduc 1104 was from the canons of Ailbert Antoing, who had left his previous monastery because he was not there compliance with the Rule strict enough donated. There was an abbey of Augustinian canons. Already in 1136 Rolduc received the secular patronage of the Dukes of Limburg. Some dukes were buried in the crypt of the abbey church.

From the 12th century are the Annales Rodenses that have been revised significantly by the Abbot Nicholas Heyendal early 18th century and continued and issued by one of the last canons, Simon Peter Ernst, as a supplement. These records can be found on many places of the Rhineland and Limburg the first documentary mention.

Even with the construction of the monastery, the castle Rode was the protection of which a few hundred meters east erected. Since the creation of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1830 are the monastery and castle in two different countries.

The abbey founded several monasteries daughter, including the Kloster Marienthal obtained only as a ruin in the same place at the Ahr. The first period lasted until about 1250.

After slow decay, with the devastation in the Eighty Years' War as a low point in 1680, the monastery was restored. In this era, the new Abtswohnung arose, and soon after Rolduc also flourished economically through the exploitation of coal in the first coal mine in the area of ​​present-day Netherlands.

Also in the 18th century was the Moretti - wing, named after the Aachen baroque architect Joseph Moretti. 1754 also the valuable monastery library in the Rococo style was completed.

In 1831, when the area fell to Belgium, addressed to the seminary of the diocese of Liège in Rolduc one. The diocese of Roermond took over the monastery, when the area in 1839 fell to the Duchy of Limburg.

Abbey

The built in place of a previous cross basilica comes mainly from the 12th century and was finally consecrated in 1209. The west front of the church is dominated by a central tower on a rectangular plan, which is also flanked by two significantly lower stair towers on a rectangular plan. Originally the church had no access to the west. Apart from the actual transept the first and third yoke of the vessel are designed as pseudo- transepts to the height of the nave, these do not cover the outer escape the aisles beyond. The other two Seitenschiffjoche have a pair of heavy pillars and a central row of columns and a basilica are correspondingly lower than the nave executed. With the exception of the vaulted from transverse to the axis tons church aisle parts of the pseudo- transepts transverse and nave are vaulted with groined vaults beltless.

Under transept and choir is carried by richly decorated by columns crypt. The cloverleaf-shaped scale Dreikonchenchor emerged in the 19th century on the site of a Gothic previous building.

One took place in 1859 repair was one of the first major restoration of the orders Roermonder architect Pierre Cuypers.

Today's function

The largest part of the monastery complex is a hotel and convention center in use. A smaller part still serves as a Catholic seminary " Groot- Seminarie " the formation of priests of the diocese of Roermond.

The church can be visited regularly. The library can be (appointment only ) visited for scientific research.

Another part of the monastery houses a secondary school with the courses of education HAVO ( Hoger Algemeen voortgezet Onderwijs ) and VWO ( Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs ).