Sint-Andreas

L’église de Lierneux, dédiée à saint André, l’était aussi à saint Symètre, martyr du 2e siècle. Sa châsse en argent du XIIIe siècle illustre l’art mosan : coffre à toit, caissons latéraux, repoussé-ciselé, visages souriants et uniformes. Sans être un chef-d’œuvre, elle témoigne de l’influence de l’art mosan sur l’art populaire de l’époque.

Sous l'autel de droite se trouve la châsse de saint André, apôtre, frère de saint Pierre, crucifié sur une croix en forme de X. Cette chasse en argent a trois siècles de plus que celle de saint Symètre. Comme elle ne correspond en rien à ce que l’on trouve dans les régions mosanes et rhénanes, elle est habituellement qualifiée d’œuvre « allemande ».

The baptismal font, which dates back to the 16th century, reminds us that the church was built in ancient times. They are made of carved blue stone. We can recognize the effigy of the four rivers of Paradise, as well as several faces in low relief, of a very naive construction.

In the baptismal chapel is a work by the painter André Simar (born in 1927), entitled “The Resurrection of Jesus”. The artist, fascinated by colour since childhood, produces an atypical and abundant work that explodes with life and energy. His fragmented style draws from different registers: the comic strip but also stained glass and collage while borrowing techniques from both pointillism and mosaic.

Two high-quality funeral slabs are visible in the chapel. They belong to two priests, Father François Gerkinet (died in 1758) and his successor at the church of Lierneux, the Reverend P.-F. Dupont (died in 1780). They are cut from slate blocks, common in the region.

Outside the church, remarkable for its bulbous bell tower and its four little bell towers, there is also a collection of carved stone crosses (notably in Ottré stone, so smooth to the touch, typical of the region). The motifs that stand out are characteristic of the late 18th and 19th centuries: skull and bone, six-pointed star, candlesticks, stylized flowers...