If a church is haunted, it has to be haunted by good spirits, right?

---

Yet another overcast day today in Maastricht, & probably the coldest day since I've been here. However, that didn't stop me from going out & seeing some things today.

My first stop this morning was the Basilica of St. Servaas. I've posted pictures of the OUTSIDE of the church, but I figured that since it's so old, the interior has to be just as (or more) magnificent than the exterior. I couldn't have been more right. Visitors have to pay 3,80 euros to gain entrance into the church & the church's treasury. I first went into the treasury. It houses a lot of artifacts & relics from throughout the church's history -- there are even relics which date back to the time of St. Servaas himself! (Keep in mind that he died in 384 AD!) After leaving the Treasury, visitors walk into the main entrance. Above the door is a relief from the 12th century which reads "This is the house of prayer. A house where sins are forgiven. Cross over this threshold, my people, in order to receive absolution for your sins. Here is the source of justice which purifies your sins." The church interior is magnificent with high Gothic ceilings and various niches with statutes, paintings, & triptychs galore. The stained glass is exquisite! The High Altar is absolutely beautiful. Perhaps the coolest thing about the basilica is the crypt of St. Servaas. In the crypt, there's a memorial chapel to the saint directly above his grave. There's also the oldest alter in the Netherlands in the chapel which is dedicated to St. Gertrude of Nivelles. While the church is beautiful, it definitely has that "creepy" factor of all things old. It smelled like old stone & incense. Also, I KNOW that I was the only one in the entire place (besides the guy that worked the Reception desk which is in a corridor a long way away from the church itself). However, when I was in the crypt, I heard voices talking. I just figured that maybe some more people came into the church; however, when I went back upstairs, there was nobody in there but me! Talk about CREEPY! However, I figured that if there were ghosts in there, they HAD to be holy ghosts, right? haha. Oh well. At least it makes for a good/memorable story!

To get my mind off of my extraordinary experience, I decided it was wise to do some shopping! (Don't judge me - it's the last week of the sales so I wanted to get while the getting was still good!) I found a nice pair of boots that have a little heel on them, & it turns out they're perfect for walking on cobblestone. In my other boots, I turn my ankle constantly. In these new boots, I didn't have one fobble at all! How about that!? Also, since the Dutch are known to be the tallest society in the world, I don't have any issues with walking around with a heel on my boot because there are still people taller than me. Needless to say, those boots probably won't get much wear in the US so I don't tower over everyone again, haha.

That about sums it up for today. Back to working on my research project! HOORAY! (Read with sarcasm.)

---

Photos

St. Servaas Basilica
Main entrance corridor

St. Servaas Basilica
Stained glass in a side chapel

St. Servaas Basilica
A view of the pews & the high altar from the back of the church.

St. Servaas Basilica
The high altar

St. Servaas Basilica
Memorial chapel to St. Servaas

St. Servaas Basilica
Crypt of St. Servaas