Restoration of Holy Cross Church is "on hold" for lack of funds, we learned from an English-speaking resident of one of the ancient apartment buildings across the hilly street. The attraction here is the age of the former collegiate church founded in 979 by Bishop Notger, who was quite a hero of Liege when he replaced Bishop Lambert, who was assassinated in the 8th century. (Place St. Lambert is named after him.) Notger was the first prince-bishop of Liege who fortified the city and built the Palace of the Prince-bishops. This church was originally the fortress on the hill.
The restoration must be important to the preservation effort of the city, for Notger changed the history of Liege. He was the prince-bishop who made the city the capital of not only the diocese, but also of a state of the Holy Germanic Empire. In other words, it was because of Notger that the city was independent, able to manage its own affairs for more than 800 years! I’m thinking that love of independence the "hot-blooded" population is famous for must compel them to complete the restoration of this church built by their favorite champion of their rights. After all, the Palace of the Prince-bishops, built by Notger, is still intact, though historians say it little resembles the
original.
The church on Mont St. Martin was a fortification when Liege was capital of the state that included a large part of all Wallonia, French-speaking Belgium. This takes us to the 18th century. A placard in front of the building tells us about other uses throughout the centuries, including the former Grady Manor, a residence and birthplace of the pianist and composer Cesar-Auguste Franck (1822-1890).
Our friend from across the street told us to walk around back, where an enclosed courtyard was interesting. Part of the "Manor," it has walls where more ancient stones meet more recent ones and various building styles come together, a kind of chronicle of the building’s history.
Parts of the church are clean, others still black and wrapped in scaffolding. I’ve included pictures of both for those who are interested in restoration efforts.
Holy Cross isn’t difficult to find--just go to the high corner of Place St. Lambert where the land rises to a hill, and walk the street to the right. Halfway up it, a sign at an intersection discusses the hill as the fortress area.