Syndicat d'Initiative
de Cerfontaine
de Cerfontaine
The church of Saint-Lambert in Cerfontaine is a neo-Gothic building constructed in 1884 on former marshes.
Adjacent to the river that divides the village in two, the Eau d'Heure, this majestic building proudly stands in the valley.
The original church, whose foundations dated back to the 8th century, was initially located on rue de Senzeilles, on the site of the current "Les Loustics" car park.
However, to build a more modern structure in the village centre, particularly to please the new Cerfontainois who had settled in rue Au-Delà de l'Eau, the new church was rebuilt on the current village square.
Dedicated to Saint Lambertus, a bishop who was murdered in Liège, the church was built between 1880 and 1884 with impressive dimensions: 45 metres high, 59 metres long and 23 metres wide. The cross itself is 5 meters high.
The church's distinctive feature is its bell tower, whose base forms an octagon and the roof is equipped with "battlements," openings to protect the villagers during an invasion, like arrow slits in a castle.
Of course, these battlements in the church are purely decorative.
A magnificent roof that has given our village a lovely nickname: "Cerfontaine with the beautiful tower."
The church is built with local stones called "limestone blocks." A typical stone from the region that gives the building a grey tint that becomes bluish when wet.
The body of the church is surrounded by several stone pinnacles, while three false chapels are placed on the sides of the two side aisles.
In addition to traditional masses, the "Te Deum" and other ceremonies, the church welcomes every year on August 15th the three companies of the Saint-Lambert procession in Cerfontaine. An escort of several hundred men and women who have accompanied the procession since 1966 (the year the folk procession was resumed, although there were procession escorts before that.)
The residents of Cerfontaine had to divert the nearby river "Eau d'Heure" to build this structure and drain the marshland it was.
To provide stability, a large pit was dug and filled with stones and straw.
It is said that there are more stones under the church than in it.
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