Collegiate Church of Sainte-Croix

Overlooking the fiery city for more than a thousand years, the Collegiate Church of Sainte-Croix is one of Liège’s most captivating heritage treasures. Founded at the end of the tenth century by Bishop Notger, it was consecrated in 986 and officially recognized by Emperor Henry II as early as 1005, establishing it as a major spiritual center in the region. Its architecture is both striking and unusual, with two opposing choirs inspired by Rhenish models. The western choir, built around 1200, still shows a blend of Romanesque style with the first hints of Gothic, marked by its octagonal tower and arcaded galleries. Later, the eastern choir and nave fully embraced Gothic architecture. With three naves all rising to the same height, Sainte-Croix is what’s known as a “hall church,” an almost unique configuration in this region. The collegiate once safeguarded remarkable treasures: the twelfth-century reliquary key of Saint Hubert, the Triptych of the Holy Cross—a Mosan masterpiece attributed to Godefroy de Huy—Baroque statues by Guillaume Evrard, and a painting by Bertholet Flémal. Monumental organs, finely carved choir stalls, and stunning stained glass once added to its magnificence. Many of these works are now housed in the Grand Curtius or the Treasury of the Cathedral. Closed since 2005 due to its fragile state, Sainte-Croix is now undergoing an ambitious restoration, with plans to reopen it as a place of worship, a cultural venue, and a tourist site. Even from the outside, you can feel the weight of a monument that condenses a millennium of Liège’s history—where faith, Mosan art, and Gothic grandeur come together.