Chapel of Notre-Dame de Echternach

The first church on this spot was constructed around 698, when Abbess Irmina of Oeren (Trier) made a gift of her properties in Echternach to Archbishop Willibrord, the founder of the monastery. The reconstruction from 1016 to 1031 created the Abbey Church much as it exists today. After its desecration by French Revolutionary troops, the abbey church was re-consecrated in 1868. The destruction of 1944 required lengthy reconstruction work that was only completed in 1953.

In the 4th century A.D., the hill on which the church stands was fortified with towers and a surrounding wall. Around the year 1000, a Romanesque building was erected in the form of a three-nave basilica. In the 15th century, the church was transformed and enlarged in the Gothic style. After the Second World War, archaeological excavations and restoration work gave the Sanctuary its present appearance.

The church was erected in 1782-83 in accordance with the architectural plans of Johann Anton Neurohr of Trier. It was transformed and renovated several times. It is a simple and unpretentiously built single-nave church whose striking features include the monumental glass window from the 1950s, a Westenfelder organ built into the tower in 1983 as well as many other artistic works.