Nederland - Sint Odiliënberg, Basiliek van de H.H. Wiro, Plechelmus en Otgerus

The Basiliek van de H.H. Wiro, Plechelmus en Otgerus in Romanesque style - standing on top of the Sint Petrusberg on the outskirts of the village - is an impressive sight. Its history goes back to the first half of the 8th century, when three Anglo-Saxon priests founded a monastery here. In the 9th century this monastery became a refuge for the chapter of the cathedral in Utrecht; they stayed here until 1361. After a century of decay the former monastery became a convent. The church was handed to the parish in 1680.

The original church was a one-aisled building with a westwork and a narrower choir. Of that building nothing remains above the ground. A new nave was built in the 11th century, followed by transept, choir and towers in the 12th century. The current look of the church however is in many ways the result of a restoration by the famous Dutch architect P.J.H. Cuypers from 1880 until 1883. He restored the church according to his own ideas, which usually meant reconstruction, leading to the loss of historical value. In this particular case, parts that had vanished long ago, like the side-aisles, the southern tower and the two choirs on the transept-arms, were rebuilt. Older parts were often replaced by new ones.

Of the original building little was left. World War II worsened the situation even more. On January 26th of 1945 German troops needlessly destroyed the church. After the war the church was almost completely rebuilt.