Dinant - Collégiale Notre-Dame

In the Place Reine Astrid at the foot of the citadel hill the collegiate church of Notre-Dame stands at the end of the Meuse bridge. It is a beautiful early Gothic building from the 13th C. standing on the site of a Romanesque basilica which was destroyed by falling rocks in 1227.

Following the devastation of 1466 the arches had to be reconstructed. The central tower with a pear-shaped dome (1566) provides a harmonious contrast to the dominating citadel high above the town. The only remains of the Romanesque church is the sandstone doorway on the north side. Inside the church examples of dinanderies can be seen in the form of the font, the Easter candles and the lectern. In the left transept is the tomb of Gérard de Blanmostier dated 1356.

The light shines through a beautiful Gothic arched stained window above the south doorway.