Abbey Church (St Michaelskerk / Abdijkerk Thorn)

The Abbey Church of Thorn, known as the Sint-Michaëlskerk or Abdijkerk, is the dominant building of the white town in Dutch Limburg. It belonged to the abbey of Thorn, a community of noblewomen that was founded around the end of the tenth century and developed over the following centuries into the centre of a small independent territory. The abbess ruled that territory as a princess of the Holy Roman Empire, and the church was the religious and ceremonial centre of her domain. This arrangement lasted until the end of the eighteenth century, when the French revolutionary armies swept away such ecclesiastical states.

The church shows many periods of building. The western part, the westwork, is Romanesque, with a massive form that recalls the fortress-like churches of the early Middle Ages. The main body is a large Gothic cross-shaped church, begun in the thirteenth century and completed over the following hundred and fifty years, with tall windows and ribbed vaults. Later centuries added Renaissance and baroque elements, including furnishings and decoration in the interior, so that the result is a rich layering of styles. The nineteenth century brought restoration work, in which the famous Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers played a part.

Inside, the baroque high altar is one of the main features, and the church contains tombs, sculpture and memorials to abbesses and canonesses. Beneath part of the building is a crypt, and the treasury preserves liturgical objects such as vessels, vestments and reliquaries from the long life of the abbey. Details of what is on view change, and the museum functions, so check opening times, which vary by season. As the church is still in use as a parish church, services may close it to visitors.

The white houses of the surrounding town give the church an unforgettable setting. The abbey buildings and the residences of the canonesses stand around the church, and narrow lanes lead out to a handful of small squares. A municipal museum, the Land of Thorn, adds information on local history, and a chapel under lime trees is another small landmark. The town is compact, and a walk around it takes an hour or two.

The church suits history lovers, architecture fans, photographers and families. Combine it with a stroll through the town and a coffee at a terrace. Thorn lies near Weert and the Maas, and cycling routes link it with the lakes of the area.