Maastricht as a pilgrimage town . The Frankish sarcophagus was added later . In the centre the Byzantine double cross Maastricht had been an important destination for pilgrims centuries before the first recorded septennial pilgrimage. The first to mention pilgrims paying tribute at the grave of Saint Servatius was
Gregory of Tours in the late 6th century. It was at that time that bishop
Monulph replaced the wooden grave chapel with a stone basilica. Calendars of saints from the 8th and 9th century make mention of miracles happening at the saint's grave. As the number of pilgrims increased, the original church became too small. It was replaced by ever larger structures, until the current church was built in the 11th century. Throughout the centuries the
Church of Saint Servatius acquired many relics, which were housed in precious
reliquaries. The
indulgences connected to these relics brought in more pilgrims. A French pilgrim calculated in 1453 that in one year in Maastricht one could earn about 800 years reduction of
purgatorial punishment. At the same time, it was assumed that a completed Maastricht pilgrimage was rewarded with a plenarary indulgence (full remittance of punishment). The other
collegiate church in Maastricht, the
Church of Our Lady, possessed important relics too. After the
First Crusade (1096-99), two major
relics of the True Cross were acquired from
Constantinople. One was the so-called Pectoral Cross of
Constantine, which was set in a small golden
triptych. The other was the Byzantine double cross or
Patriarchal cross, presented to the church by
Philip of Swabia. Both reliquaries were donated to the pope by a former
canon in 1837. They are now in the Treasury of
St. Peter's Basilica in
Vatican City. Another reason for pilgrims to visit Our Lady's was the relic of the girdle of the
Virgin Mary, which remains in the church today. There was great rivalry between the two principal churches when it came to attracting pilgrims. More pilgrims meant more income. The
Chapter of St Servatius, considering itself the oldest and more powerful institution, made sure that no relics were shown in the open air at Our Lady's. It has been suggested that the ambulatory gallery in the choir of Our Lady's was used for this purpose. Whichever way they showed their relics, it was almost certainly less effective than the spectacular open-air displays at St Servatius'. Over the centuries several disputes arose from this, some were fought at the highest level at the
Papal Tribunal. The differences culminated in 1495, when the Chapter of Saint Servatius commissioned a copy of the Patriarchal Cross of Our Lady's. For the benefit of the pilgrims two
hospitiums were built on the south-west corner of
Vrijthof. The Hospitium of Saint Servatius is first mentioned in the 11th century. Next to it stood the Hospitium of Saint James, which was specifically built for pilgrims on their way to
Santiago de Compostela. Due to dwindling numbers of pilgrims, both institutions took on other tasks in the 17th century. They were demolished in the early 19th century.
Middle Ages: Apogee of the Maastricht pilgrimage and
Kornelimünster Abbey The Dutch word
heiligdomsvaart (
German:
Heiligtumsfahrt) means "journey to the holy relics". It is probably derived from the older German terms
Römerfahrt and
Aachener Fahrt, the medieval journeys or pilgrimages to
Rome and
Aachen. The Maastricht
heiligdomsvaart was long held simultaneously with Aachen and
Kornelimünster Abbey. Together they offered some of the best relics to be seen in Europe. A
papal bull of 1249 is the oldest document referring to the Maastricht pilgrimage around the traditional dates in mid-July, although the name
heyldomsvaert is not mentioned until 1440. The term used in 1391 was
heiligdomskermis ("fair of the holy relics"). The popularity of the Maastricht-Aachen-Kornelimünster pilgrimage reached its zenith in the 15th century when up to 140,000 pilgrims visited these towns in mid-July. The septennial pilgrimage in medieval Maastricht was centred around the Church of Saint Servatius, although Our Lady's and other churches undoubtedly benefitted with their indoors activities. The traditional date was one week before and one week after 16 July, the feast of the holy bishops Monulph and
Gondulph. It is not known when this date became the focal point of the Maastricht pilgrimage but in 1289
auxiliary bishop Bonaventura of
Liège offered an indulgence to pilgrims visiting the grave of Saint Servatius around this time of the year. The year in which a septennial pilgrimage took place was a
Jubilee, which meant that extra indulgences were granted. The majority of pilgrims aimed to earn indulgences by visiting the grave of Saint Servatius, drinking holy water from the cup of Saint Servatius and attending at least one of the daily relics displays. No indulgences could be obtained without going to
confession and doing
penance. After fulfilling the requirements pilgrims received a pre-printed confessional certificate. A
chaplain would fill in the name of the pilgrim and attach the seal of the church. In Maastricht the Collegiate Church of Saint Servatius had the sole right of showing relics in the open air. During the septennial pilgrimage this took place once a day at
Vrijthof Square. In the 15th-century so many pilgrims gathered there, that the walls around the square had to be taken down. After celebrating an open-air
mass, a selection of the church's relics were shown from the
dwarf gallery, the arcaded gallery just below the
apse's roof. The dwarf gallery was decorated for the occasion with cloths printed with angels and Saint Servatius' keys. (
Blokboek van Sint-Servaas, ca. 1460) (Valentijn Klotz?, 1671) The showing of the relics must have been a theatrical event during which many pilgrims were overcome with emotion. Throughout the ceremony loud cries could be heard. Some pilgrims were sitting on rooftops around Vrijthof to get a better view of the relics and to benefit from their exposure. Many took bread, meat and personal objects with them in order to be blessed by the relics. The relics were shown in four groups. Each group was announced with a formula that started with: "Thou shall be shown...", followed by a brief description of the objects and a prayer. The fixed order was: 1. the
sudarium of Saint Servatius (one of the three "heavenly cloths", lost during the
Siege of Maastricht of 1579) along with his
crozier; 2. the red
shroud of Saint Servatius along with his
pilgrim's staff; 3. the white cloth that covered the
sarcophagus of Saint Servatius, along with his
chalice and
paten; 4. the reliquary bust of Saint Servatius, the reliquary arm of
Saint Thomas and the silver pectoral cross made by
Saint Luke for the Virgin Mary. The pilgrims were then invited to visit the grave inside the church and see the other relics on display there. The ceremony was concluded by bell ringing and pilgrims blowing their pilgrim horns. s of Saint Servatius Throughout the Middle Ages tens of thousands visited Maastricht during the septennial pilgrimage. Monasteries, hospitals, alms houses and individual citizens offered shelter, as only a limited number could be admitted to the town's official pilgrims' hospitiums. Pilgrims came from all over Europe, notably from the
Low Countries,
France (
Normandy and
Brittany in particular, where Saint Servatius was venerated much),
England, the
Holy Roman Empire (Germany, Austria and Bohemia),
Hungary and
Scandinavia. After visiting Maastricht many carried on to Aachen and Kornelimünster, or to other pilgrimage sites. The pilgrims were vital for the town's medieval economy. During the septennial pilgrimage the usually strict rules for trading were relaxed. Every citizen could sell food and drink or change currency. Pilgrims were offered a range of religious souvenirs: pilgrim horns made of clay, pilgrim flasks made of
white pipe clay and, most of all,
pilgrim badges made of tin or lead. In the 16th and 17th century these were gradually replaced by printed images, pilgrim's forms, booklets, medals and flags. The objects were often decorated with images of relics from Maastricht, Aachen and Kornelimünster, which made it easy to sell them in all three places. The fourteen days of the Maastricht pilgrimage were known as the "Freedom of Saint Servatius". It was a period when normal rules did not apply, resulting in more freedom for citizens and visitors but also in more crime. The start of this period was announced by the town
watchmen blowing their
buisines. From that moment on no-one could be tried for past offences. There was always a number of pilgrims who had been sent on a pilgrimage as part of a penalty. Breaking the rules during this time was punished with forced pilgrimages (e.g. to Santiago de Compostela) or fines.
Magistrates and guilds formed
militia that patrolled the streets, especially in areas where many pilgrims gathered. The large concentration of people in the relatively small city of around 15,000 also posed threats of fire and disease. Citizens were obliged to have a bucket of water on their doorstep to help prevent major
conflagrations.
16th-17th century: Decline of the Maastricht pilgrimage The decline of the Maastricht pilgrimage in the 16th century was a result of the
Protestant Reformation, as well as the ensuing
wars of religion and outbreaks of the
plague. This affected Maastricht as much as many other places in north-western Europe. During the
Siege of Maastricht (1579) the three "heavenly cloths" went missing, whereas the reliquary bust of Saint Servatius was largely destroyed. Maastricht became a heavily defended Catholic bulwark. By 1608 attendance to the pilgrimage had dropped to 13,000. After the
Capture of Maastricht by the Protestant
Dutch Republic in 1632, a ban on processions and other religious manifestations in public was issued, meaning the end of the traditional
Heiligdomsvaart. The pilgrimages of 1655 and 1662 took place inside the Church of Saint Servatius. After 1706 no septennial pilgrimages took place until the revival of the tradition in the 19th century. During the
French Annexation (1794-1814) the religious chapters in Maastricht were abolished. For some years both collegiate churches were used as military arsenals and horse stables. The church treasures suffered great losses in this period. Many objects of gold and silver were melted down in order to pay for war taxes. After the French period neglect continued. Some of the medieval reliquaries were sold to collectors or just given away. The church of Saint Servatius lost the four panels that belonged to the chest of Saint Servatius, as well as its
Vera Icon by
Van Eyck. Our Lady's lost its Byzantine Cross and various other objects (see above). Few regretted these losses at the time. With the disappearance of the pilgrimages and the religious institutions that had guarded these objects for centuries, they had become meaningless to most.
1874: Revival of the septennial pilgrimage (detail of a print, 1873) From the mid-19th century Catholicism began to flourish once again in Maastricht and elsewhere in the Netherlands. Catholics' self-esteem was boosted by the
reestablishment of the episcopal hierarchy in the Netherlands in 1853. Catholics now wanted to express their faith in public. In 1867 Joannes Paredis,
bishop of Roermond, reinstated the feast of the
holy bishops of Maastricht. Four years later he introduced the feast in honour of the relics of all saints. Many relics that had lost their containers during the French period were given new reliquaries, predominantly in the
Gothic Revival style. At the same time, a renewed interest in medieval art became apparent. An important step in the reassessment of Maastricht's religious patrimony was the publication of Bock and Willemsen's illustrated catalogue of the church treasures in 1872. The French edition of 1873 moreover contained additional texts about the medieval pilgrimages, which may have contributed to the revival of the tradition one year later. Also in 1873, the
Treasury of the Basilica of St Servatius, after extensive restoration works led by Dutch architect
Pierre Cuypers, opened to the public. Part of the opening ceremony was a short procession with several reliquaries that went from the old treasury via Vrijthof to the new treasury. The procession with three bishops and over 50 priests was illegal as it clearly ignored the ban on processions that was included in the 1848
Dutch Constitution. Catholics in the Netherlands were impressed; others made fun of the "Maastricht cortège of relics". The success of the 1873 procession stimulated F.X. Rutten,
dean of St Servatius', to reinstate the septennial pilgrimage in 1874. Papal permission was obtained from
Pope Pius IX, who also revived the medieval plenarary indulgence for those who completed the pilgrimage. The medieval custom of showing the relics from the dwarf gallery was not revived; instead the relics were exhibited in the church and during a procession. The relics remained on view for two weeks on a pedestal in the choir of St Servatius'. The route of the procession was the same as the previous year: leaving the church from the south-east portal, via Vrijthof and Keizer Karelplein to the north portal and the treasury in the cloisters. This time judicial action was taken against dean Rutten. The case went on for years; the dean persisted despite losing every single case. This and similar cases led to heated discussions in Dutch Parliament. It did not stop the Catholics taking to the streets: in 1878 six processions were held in Maastricht and in 1881 the second 'modern' pilgrimage went ahead. During the 1909 pilgrimage displaying of relics took place in the two main churches, as well as in the parish church of Wyck, where the so-called Black Christ of Wyck could be venerated. Masses were celebrated by the
archbishop of Utrecht and the
bishop of Liège, indicating the high profile the pilgrimage by then had achieved within the Roman Catholic Church. In 1916 the Saint Servatius Play, a musical piece that intended to visualise the ancient legend, was performed in the open-air in Vrijthof. The play or variations on it were performed until recently. Another pre-19th-century element of the pilgrimage that was revived in the 20th century was the playful spectacle The Storming of the Castle, which took place on the river
Meuse in 1930, 1937 and 1983. Since 1937 the task of organising the septennial pilgrimage lies with the
Vereniging Het Graf van Sint Servaas (Society of the Grave of Saint Servatius). The society aims to promote the city of Maastricht as a catholic centre and a pilgrimage site. Also in 1937, an old tradition was reintroduced to allow the statues of Our Lady, Star of the Sea and the Black Christ of Wyck in the procession. Several other non-reliquary objects (mainly statues of saints) have been admitted since. The 1944 pilgrimage was cancelled because of
World War II. It was postponed until 1948, thus breaking the seven-yearly cycle as well as no longer being synchronized with Aachen. It also meant that participants from Aachen were able to join the Maastricht procession. In 1955 the
Bust of Charlemagne came over from Aachen, accompanied by many German pilgrims (among them cardinal
Josef Frings). In 1969 the reliquary chest of
Saint Remaclus was brought in from
Stavelot and that of
Saint Gummarus from
Lier; in 1976
Saint Lambert's bust visited from
Liège,
Saint Ursula's shrine from
Cologne and other reliquaries from
Oldenzaal,
Visé, Aachen and
Burtscheid. Starting in 1969 the traditional dates around mid-July were abandoned because too many people were away on holiday. Initially the dates were changed to late August, early September; later to late May, early June. In 1988 a partnership with other pilgrimage sites within the
Euregion Meuse-Rhine was initiated. Unlike the medieval partnership with Aachen and Kornelimünster, the pilgrimages are scheduled in such a way that there is no competition between the towns. 1990 saw a dip in numbers of visitors, possibly a result of tensions in the
Diocese of Roermond under bishop
Joannes Gijsen. In 1997 the theme was
Where are you? with around 100,000 visitors. In 2004 the theme was
We are the time. It was the first time an extensive cultural programme was added to the pilgrimage. The 2011 theme was
Towards the Light. Around 175.000 attended some of the events. The 55th (modern) edition took place from 24 May until 3 June 2018. Its theme was
Do good and do not look back. The next Maastricht pilgrimage takes place in 2025. File:De Heiligdomsvaart 1955 Polygoonjournaal - Sanctuary procession.ogv|The 1955 procession (
Polygoon newsreel) File:Heiligdomsvaart in Maastricht Processie Noodkist van St Servaes meegedragen, Bestanddeelnr 914-1111.jpg|'Noodkist' (under the canopy) in the 1962 procession File:Heiligdomsvaart in Maastricht Processie Twee meisjes kijken toe, Bestanddeelnr 914-1108.jpg|The bust of Saint Servatius in the 1962 procession File:Laatste dag van de zevenjaarlijkse Heiligdomsvaart-33112.ogv|The 1976 procession (
Polygoon newsreel) == Programme modern pilgrimage ==