Sometimes the best travel discoveries happen by accident. While I think there was no avoiding seeing this magnificent beauty while in Maastricht, arriving to our hotel and realizing it was quite literally our next door neighbor was a pleasant surprise. This is the Basilica of St. Servatius or Sint Servaasbasiliek, also called Sintervaos by locals. It’s considered to be the oldest church still standing in the Netherlands with one of the most impressive treasure rooms in Europe which has earned it a spot on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites.
Standing next to it with it’s striking red tower is the basilica’s “church twin” called St. John’s Church, or Sint-Janskerk. St. John’s, named after John the Baptist, was converted to a protestant church in 1632, while St. Servatius remained Catholic.
Both are open to the public with daily visiting hours and a small entry fee, though while I observed most people seemed to just visit the square and take countless pictures of the gorgeous structure. If you dare, you can challenge yourself to climb the red tower of St. John’s all the way to the top for a bird’s eye view of the city.
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