Cathedral of the diocese
Roermond has been an episcopal city since 1559, a welcome development after the city suffered a fierce urban fire. The cathedral houses the seat (cathedra) of the bishop of Roermond. In the past, Roermond had been capital of the Overkwartier Gelre. The original parish church ended up outside the fortress walls. It was therefore decided to build a new, larger church within the walls. Originally, the church was built in the shape of a Greek cross with four arms of equal lengths. Over the centuries, the church was extended many times to its present form: a five-aisled basic nave with built-in west tower. In the 16th century, people wanted to turn the whole church into a hall church by extending the three equally high choirs into the naves. This can best be seen in the eastern transept.
The eventful past of Sint-Christoffelkathedraal
The past of St Christopher's Cathedral is rather turbulent, to say the least. Various disasters, including a city fire, the iconoclasm, looting by William of Orange's troops, lightning strikes and storms caused the church to suffer regularly. But the church and tower were also destroyed many times due to its strategic location. The heaviest destruction suffered on 28 February 1945. The Germans blew up the tower to prevent English troops from using it as an observation post. The church was left as a ruin. One day later, Roermond was liberated. It was not until 1957 that the rebuilding of the church was completed.
The cathedral tower and 'Sjtuf'
Since 1957, the 86-metre-high cathedral tower has featured the golden statue of Saint Christopher with Jesus on his shoulders (affectionately known as 'Sjtuf'). The statue is extra special for the city, as it literally carries the inhabitants of Roermond with it: when the statue was hoisted, they were given the chance to write their names on a roll of parchment that was put in a tube of the statue. The cathedral tower is open for a climb every first Saturday of the month at 1:30pm, 2:30pm and 3:30pm from April to October.
Hart van Limburg's city guides provide walks in Roermond for groups by appointment which can include tours of the cathedral.