A VIEW OF HEAVEN

[EDIT: Houthem St Gerlach, January 30]
It is worth standing still to look at the baroque frescoes of the church of Saint Gerlach in Houthem-St. Gerlach. In fact, once you raise your eyes aloft in this exquisite jewel of a church, you will be transfixed (See the link). The restoration of the frescoes and the removal of thousands of disfiguring screws cost two and a half million Euros. But surely it is worth it for the crowning splendor on the superb St. Gerlach estate, with its restored manor farm and chateau, in the verdant nature reserve of the valley of the Geulle.

Actually, the whole project, the estate and the church, is a template for the Maastricht/South Limburg/Meuse-Rhine brand. It takes in a rediscovery of history; the beauty of the restored buildings; serious attention to gastronomy; a special wing for wellness; and, a feeling for art, not only in the church frescoes, but also in the modern exhibits in the park in front of the chateau.

The saintly hermit himself, who started out as a knight-at-arms, struggling to deliver the Holy Land from the infidel, became famous for living in a tree and healing the cattle belonging to the local peasants. They still sometimes come to take a handful of the sacred sand beneath his tomb. He, however, is not today a brand in himself.

Curiously though, after the presentation of the restoration work to the ladies and gentlemen of the press, St. Gerlach did however make the front pages, because one of the authorities responsible for the presentation referred to him as a medieval ‘Obama’ and this magic word gave him brand status.

If you want to read more, an excellent book* has been prepared for the occasion, which fortunately includes an English translation and, of course, superb illustrations - including the silver bust of the holy man himself. Please go to the link to see his view of heaven and what is truly a “Gesamtkunstwerk”.
*
Heiligdom/Sanctuary Sint Gerlach; ISBN 978 94 6004 023 8
175pp EUR 24.50
SW
http://www.meuse-rhine-journal.com/images/stgerlach.jpg