Leuven
After Aachen, we headed back into Belgium for another of Randy’s meetings. We went to Leuven, or Louvain, depending on who we asked. Our tickets said Leuven; the signs in Liège where we changed trains said Louvain. We still got to the right place that night.
More after the jump
When I think of going to Belgium, I often think of beer. I walked out of my hotel Monday morning and saw this across the street.
As tempting as it was to take the brewery tour, I did have the kids with me, and so we continued on our walk to the center of Leuven. According to my map there were more direct ways to get there, but the young lady at the desk advised we take major streets rather than route through the residential area so we took her advice. We didn’t have time to get lost. Our walk took us back by the Leuven train station. In front of the station stands the Martelarenmonument, a memorial to the devastation to the city by the German army in World War I and the people they executed. It was erected in 1925. Myles recently studied the First World War and the Armistice, so we talked about the perspective of 1925, thinking that peace had been achieved.
On our way we stopped for hot chocolate and coffee. The kids and I were discussing different languages, specifically how some are related and some are not, as we often do, and some American women next to us apologized for eavesdropping but couldn’t help but ask about how we came to be there and how my kids understood so much about this. I admitted that if we didn’t live abroad, they would have much less awareness of these subjects, but it was a part of our every day life. They then started talking about how they worked for an international organization that offered a lot of support for families. As the kids and I were walking out, the handed us some literature from their organization. I glanced down and realized the material led to the website for Jehovah’s Witnesses. I thanked them and hustled the kids down the street.
Our next stop was Sint-Pieterskerk. Much like so many of the churches we have seen in Europe, the first church on this spot was built (probably) around 986, but burnt down two hundred years later. It was replaced by a Romanesque church, which in the 1400s was enlarged and modified into the Gothic church it is today.
We did not get into the treasury to see some of the priceless works of art in the collection, but we were baffled by this enormous wooden pulpit.
The bell towers had been planned to be much higher, the highest building in the world in the 1500s, but the ground under the church was too soft to permit this construction. Inside the church, the architect’s maquette is preserved. It was an incredibly ambitious design.
St. Damien of Molokai holds a special place of honor in Leuven. His crypt is located at a different church in the city, but he is honored here at Sint-Pieterskerk as well.
Right across the Grote Markt from Sint-Pieterskerk is the iconic town hall of Leuven.
It was heavily influenced by the town hall at Brussels.
We stopped in what must be the most beautiful comic book store I have ever seen. The kids were mostly interested in Tintin and Asterix.
Our last stop was at Sint-Anthoniuskapel, which houses the crypt of Saint Damien of Molokai.
This church has in the past hosted a special devotion to St. Joseph, as evidenced by all the gratitude on the walls.
But the current primary purpose of this chapel is as a shrine to St. Damien.
We had personal reasons for visiting this shrine. Around the time we were leaving for this Europe trip, a younger sister of one of my oldest friends was deployed to Liberia as part of the US response to the call for aid to fight ebola. The kids and I talked about the brave work of people who, like St. Damien, work to alleviate suffering among the sickest and most contagious people in the world. They prayed for Trisha, and everyone from all over the world, who have gone to the ebola hot zones.
More after the jump
When I think of going to Belgium, I often think of beer. I walked out of my hotel Monday morning and saw this across the street.
As tempting as it was to take the brewery tour, I did have the kids with me, and so we continued on our walk to the center of Leuven. According to my map there were more direct ways to get there, but the young lady at the desk advised we take major streets rather than route through the residential area so we took her advice. We didn’t have time to get lost. Our walk took us back by the Leuven train station. In front of the station stands the Martelarenmonument, a memorial to the devastation to the city by the German army in World War I and the people they executed. It was erected in 1925. Myles recently studied the First World War and the Armistice, so we talked about the perspective of 1925, thinking that peace had been achieved.
On our way we stopped for hot chocolate and coffee. The kids and I were discussing different languages, specifically how some are related and some are not, as we often do, and some American women next to us apologized for eavesdropping but couldn’t help but ask about how we came to be there and how my kids understood so much about this. I admitted that if we didn’t live abroad, they would have much less awareness of these subjects, but it was a part of our every day life. They then started talking about how they worked for an international organization that offered a lot of support for families. As the kids and I were walking out, the handed us some literature from their organization. I glanced down and realized the material led to the website for Jehovah’s Witnesses. I thanked them and hustled the kids down the street.
Our next stop was Sint-Pieterskerk. Much like so many of the churches we have seen in Europe, the first church on this spot was built (probably) around 986, but burnt down two hundred years later. It was replaced by a Romanesque church, which in the 1400s was enlarged and modified into the Gothic church it is today.
We did not get into the treasury to see some of the priceless works of art in the collection, but we were baffled by this enormous wooden pulpit.
The bell towers had been planned to be much higher, the highest building in the world in the 1500s, but the ground under the church was too soft to permit this construction. Inside the church, the architect’s maquette is preserved. It was an incredibly ambitious design.
St. Damien of Molokai holds a special place of honor in Leuven. His crypt is located at a different church in the city, but he is honored here at Sint-Pieterskerk as well.
Right across the Grote Markt from Sint-Pieterskerk is the iconic town hall of Leuven.
It was heavily influenced by the town hall at Brussels.
We stopped in what must be the most beautiful comic book store I have ever seen. The kids were mostly interested in Tintin and Asterix.
Our last stop was at Sint-Anthoniuskapel, which houses the crypt of Saint Damien of Molokai.
This church has in the past hosted a special devotion to St. Joseph, as evidenced by all the gratitude on the walls.
But the current primary purpose of this chapel is as a shrine to St. Damien.
We had personal reasons for visiting this shrine. Around the time we were leaving for this Europe trip, a younger sister of one of my oldest friends was deployed to Liberia as part of the US response to the call for aid to fight ebola. The kids and I talked about the brave work of people who, like St. Damien, work to alleviate suffering among the sickest and most contagious people in the world. They prayed for Trisha, and everyone from all over the world, who have gone to the ebola hot zones.
Comments
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint_Pieter_%28L%C3%B6wen%29#Kanzel
FYI - IMHE (experience) Wikis in other languages often yield those curious gems missing from English versions - the chancel doesn't feature in an oil painting of the sanctuary from 1667 - it isn't original to St Peter's apparently (theirs was lost during the "troubles" of the French Revolution) but was transferred from a Norbetine Abbey, and hence depicts St Norbert, who had a conversion experience not unlike St. Paul's falling from a horse!
Cheers and Merry Christmas.