218 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION
R Cathédrale St-Paul
Place Cathédrale. Tel (04) 2326131.
8am–5pm daily. & 9 7
= http://www.tresordeliege.be
Treasury # 2–5pm Tue–Sun.
This grand though austere
church was built over six
centuries, beginning in the
13th century. It was promoted
to its high status fol lowing the
destruc tion of the Cathedral
of St Lambert in 1794. Its real
attrac tion is the treasury in
the cloister. This contains
ela borate pieces of the Mosan
school in gold, silver, ivory and
enamel. Its supreme trea sure
is the huge Reliquary of
St Lambert – created in about
1512, it is a silver-and-gold
bust of the saint and contains
his skull. Equally spec tac ular
is the Reliquary of Charles the
Bold, which was donated to
the city by the duke in 1471.
Two statues in gold, sil ver
and enamel depict Charles
Aquarium-Muséum
Quai Van-Beneden 22. Tel (04)
9am–5pm Mon–Fri,
10:30am–6pm Sat–Sun. & 7 =
http://www.aquarium-museum.ulg.ac.be
This excellent aquarium has
marine and fresh water crea-
tures from all over the world,
with 2,500 speci mens in 46
tanks. The museum holds a
col lec tion of 20,000 stuffed
animals and skeletons. Both
sets of exhibits belong to the
Université de Liège and were
founded in the 19th cen tury;
hence their location in a 19th-
century Neo-Classical building.
E Musée Tchantchès
Rue Surlet 56. Tel (04) 3427575.
# Sep–Jun: 2–6pm Tue and Thu;
Oct–Apr: 10:30am Sun, 2:30pm Wed
(performances). & http://www.
tchantches.be
The vibrant mascot of Liège,
Tchantchès is an irreverent,
freedom-loving and coura g-
eous lover of pékèt (jenever
gin) who is said to embody
the typical characteristics of
the Liégeois. He is usually
depicted as a pup pet dressed
in tradi tional costume. The
original legend places him
in Charlemagne’s era. Born
between the paving stones of
the Outremeuse in AD 760, he
served the emperor val iantly
and chaotically, with his large
nose as his sole weapon. His
love of boasting is habit ually
crushed by his equally colour-
ful wife, Nanèsse. The small
museum devoted to Tchantchès
has costumes, pup pets and
memorabilia, with a theatre
for puppet shows.R Église St-Jacques
Place St-Jacques. Tel (04) 2236021.
# mid-Jun–mid-Sep: 9am–noon
and 2–6pm Mon–Fri, 9am–noon and
2–4:30pm Sat, 9am–noon Sun; mid-
Sep–mid-Jun: 9am–noon daily.
The best church in Liège, the
Église St-Jacques still has its
original Romanesque narthex,
or portico, at its western end.
The rest of the church is a
tri umph of Flamboyant Gothic,
built between 1514 and 1538,
with a wonderful ceiling of
inter laced vaulting high above
the nave. The 17th-century
statues of the saints lining the
nave are not of marble, but
painted limewood, carved by
Liège’s most celebrated sculp-
tor Jean Del Cour. The intense
clusters of architectural detail,
combined with 19th-century
Neo-Gothic decor a tion, create
a rich and uplifting impact.South of the Coeur Historique, the commer cial heart
of Liège is clus tered around two fine churches, the
Cathédrale St-Paul and Église St-Jacques. Further south
is the city’s prestigous architectural project, the Gare de
Liège-Guillemins. Bridges across the River Meuse lead
eastwards to the Outremeuse district, which is actually
an island formed by a split in the river at its confluence
with the River Ourthe. This is an area with its own
accent and traditions and was once the haunt of the
author Georges Simenon. The annual Festival of the
République Libre d’Outremeuse is an expression of its
independent spirit. There are a number of interesting
museums here, both on the island and to its east.
Exploring Liège
holding a relic of St Lambert,
with St George standing
behind him.The puppet theatre and costume display at Musée TchantchèsGraceful Gothic vaulting spanning
the nave of the Cathédrale St-Paul
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp271–3 and pp297–9