BASILICA OF ECHTERNACH

The basilica you see here is the^fifth building erected in this place. Willibrord had the first church erected around the year 700, located under the central nave of the present basilica. A second church, erected around 800, was of similar dimensions to the present one. Ravaged by a fire in 1016, a new building was completed in 1031. In 1794, after the looting by the French revolutionary troops, the basilica was transformed into an earthenware factory. It was later restored and consecrated in 1868. Destroyed again during the German offensive in 1944, it was rebuilt from 1948 to 1953 on the basis of the old 11th century plans.

The crypt and the relics of Saint Willibrord. The crypt dates back to the Carolingian period. The relics of St. Willibrord are kept in a Merovingian stone sarcophagus, set in a neo-Gothic funerary monument dating from 1906. Nearby, in a recess, flows the spring of Saint Willibrord (or sacred bottom).

Christ during his Passion. This is an amazing sculpture located in the basilica, on the left side, at the level of the wall. Christ is represented on the day of his Crucifixion, in the middle of the Passion. Among the main attributes are the naked and suffering body (thin and bruised), the stigmata, the bloody wounds and the deadened look... In a bold visual effect, the shadow of the sculpture is reflected on the wall. Thus the profile of Christ is represented in a very vivid way, crying out of truth.