Palate of the Prince-Bishops of Liege

The Palais of the Prince-Bishops of Liege is located on the Place Saint-Lambert in the center of Liege.

Its imposing frontage dominates the bottom of the place St-Lambert, center of the commercial life of Liege where formerly the Cathédrale Saint-Lambert rose.

Two constructions preceded current Palais by the Prince-Bishops, a first palate integrated in the fortifications, was built about the year millet by the prince-bishop Notger, but it disappeared in a fire in 1185, the palate was rebuilt under Raoul de Zähringen. The second construction, strongly damaged after the bag of 1468 by the Burgundian , undergoes the same fate in 1505.

Going up on the episcopal throne of Liege in 1505, the prince-bishop Érard of Marck, found a palate in ruin, it entrusted the construction of a very new Palate to the architect Arnold Van Mulcken in 1526, it was completed at the end of XVIe century. The principal frontage southern part was entirely remade after its fire in 1734 in style Louis XIV-Regency under the direction of the architect of Brussels Jean-Andre Anneessens, wire of François Anneessens.

In 1849, a new Western wing was built by the architect Jean-Charles Delsaux, in the same style as the old palate, in order to accommodate the services of the Provincial government.

Currently the building is occupied at the same time by the provincial services and the Law courts. The large court is surrounded by galleries to the heightened arcades and 60 bent columns, at the same time massive and elegant, surmounted richly decorated capitals. The variety of the decoration of the columns is extraordinary. The small court which one reaches by corridors appears more intimate. The legal institutions of Liege being dispersed on about fifteen sites in the city, a vast project, very discussed, of extension of the Palate was adopted. It envisages the construction of several buildings vis-a-vis with dimensions Westerner of the Palate so maintaining justice in the center of the city.

See too

External bonds

  • More information on the Extensions of the Palate
  • Place Saint-Lambert: photographs of yesterday and today

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