Sint-Matthiaskerk (St. Matthias Church), Maastricht

Sint-Matthiaskerk, aka Sint-Matthijs, is a Gothic temple – one of the four Roman Catholic parish churches in the center of Maastricht, and is dedicated to Saint Mattias the Apostle.

The foundation stone was laid in 1351. However, from as early as the late 13th century, another, older church had stood on this site. Attesting to this are the documents from 1297-98 plus the foundation of marl blocks, 1.5 meters deep beneath the eastern part of Sint-Matthiaskerk, unearthed during construction of the new underfloor heating in 1988.

In 1528 the church tower caught fire after a lightning strike and had long afterwards remained in the state of disrepair; the crowning spire was installed only in 1769.

In 1566 the church fell prey to iconoclasts. From 1576 to 1579 it had been in the hands of the Calvinists, but after the Siege of Maastricht (1579) the Catholics were allowed to return. After the conquest of the city by Frederik Hendrik (1632), the church was assigned to the Protestants and remained in their hands until the arrival of the French in 1794. In 1802, the church was returned to the Catholics.

Built of marl on a plinth of Namur stone, the Sint-Matthiaskerk is designed in Maas-Gothic style. The Neo-Gothic Calvary group of statues, above the entrance, dates from 1882.

Inside the church there are late Gothic frescoes, such as Resurrection from 1585 in the north aisle, several late Gothic statues, including a 15th-century Pieta and a female saint (commonly referred to as Cecilia) by Jan van Steffeswert, a Louis XIV pulpit, an 18th-century baptismal font, and a large 3-manual church organ, originally built by Joseph Binvignat in 1808 (restored in 1990). The stained-glass windows are mostly from the 19th century, with some later additions by Charles Eyck.