The
St. Lambertus was the first church in Maastricht that was built
outside the 14th-century city-walls. It's an impressive cruciform
basilical church in neo-Romanesque style, designed by architect
J.H.H. van Groenendael, for whom this was the first church in
twenty years he built in his native province of Limburg, and
was consecrated to St. Lambertus, the only saint to have come
from Maastricht. On the crossing is an octagonal dome in Baroque
style. Amongst the materials that were used are Kunrader stone
for the exterior, and marl for the interior. The design was inspired
by that of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris, France.
Shortly after construction has started the First World War breaks
out. And although the Netherlands manages to stay out of the
conflict, it does lead to a shortage of good building materials.
Work continues with the use of inferior materials, despite the
disapproval of the architect who wants to wait until better materials
become available again. But instead, parts of the demolished
fortifications, which had previously been on this location, were
used. The entrance-doors were made from the wood of a temporary
bridge which German troops had built just over the border in
Belgium, and that was taken to Maastricht by the river Maas when
the Germans no longer needed it. The church was finished years
before the war was over, but the use of inferior materials caused
many problems later. Especially the dome needed extra support,
and in 1976 the church was closed for two years because the foundations
needed strengthening to stop the building from sagging. In december 1985 was
permanently closed. In 2005 it was finally decided to give the former church
a new destination as an office-building.
