Western European Churches to Visit

Churches in Western Europe Offer Unique Architecture and History

Feb 25, 2009

Must-see churches exist seemingly everywhere in Western Europe. Here is a list of the churches to view and behold on a trip to France and Germany.

With so many churches lining the streets, mountains, and fields of France and Germany, what are some of the best ones to visit? The following is a list of churches that one will never forget on a trip to Western Europe. They are especially eye-catching due to the dramatic landscapes that surround them.

Western European Churches Travel Guide

Churches in France

The Chapel of St. Gildas was built into the base of a bare rocky cliff upon the Canal du Blavet in Brittany, France. Travelers over the centuries have reported that this piece of land was once a holy place of the Druids. St. Gildas, born around 516 A.D. was an Irish monk who established a monastery on the Island of Houat, France. He is sometimes called "Badonicus" because, as he puts it, his birth took place the year the Britons gained a famous victory over the Saxons at Mount Badon, near Bath, Somersetshire. Furthermore, Gildas was the author of two treatises that are now valuable sources for the ancient history of the Britons.

Unlike other churches throughout Europe, Notre Dame du Haut was only completed recently in 1954. The unusual architecture is built mostly of concrete and stone. While the structure is comparatively small, as compared to other churches in France and Germany, it is protected by thick walls, with an upturned roof that hangs embedded columns into the walls. Its columns are reminiscent of a boat's sail.

Built in 962 A.D. on a volcanic formation, 275 feet high, the chapel is reached by 268 steps carved into the rock. It was created to celebrate the return from the pilgrimage of Saint James. In 1429, the mother of Joan of Arc, Isabelle Romée, was said to have come to the site to pray.

Churches in Germany

Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, a concrete chapel on the edge of a field in Mechernich, was constructed by local farmers in honor of their patron saint, the 15th-century hermit Bruder Klaus. The chapel was formed using a technique coined by Zumthor as “rammed concrete”.

The farmers made up the outer walls by pouring 50 centimeters of concrete every day to create 24 layers, varying in texture and color. Inside, the prayer space is formed from local tree trunks, creating a tee-pee-shaped structure that was slowly burnt out. This created a concrete space impressed with the markings of trees. The floor is poured lead.

The Felsenkirche, a church built into a natural niche in the rocks, rises high above the houses of Oberstein. Wyrich IV of Daun-Oberstein constructed it in the years 1482-1484. Behind it, a wall of rocks rises steeply upwards; and under it, the houses of Oberstein nestle into the slope. On account of its prominent location, the church has become a symbol of the city.

The church's greatest treasure is the medieval winged altar. It was created in1403 by an unknown painter.

The copyright of the article Western European Churches to Visit in W Europe Travel is owned by Max Sherry. Permission to republish Western European Churches to Visit in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.