In the Mullerthal region right towards the eastern border with Germany, on the bank of the Sauer river, lies Luxembourg’s oldest town: Echternach. The town developed around a Benedictine abbey founded in 698 by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg.
St Willibrord (c. 658 – 7 November AD 739) was born in Northumbria and later studied in the Anglo-Saxon abbey Rath Melsigi, in County Carlow, Ireland, where he was ordained a priest in 688 AD. From there he was sent as a missionary to Frisia (Friesland) to christianise the pagan Frisians, where he was later consecrated as archbishop of the Frisians. After erecting places of worship, including Utrecht monastery and cathedral, he became the first ordained archbishop of Utrecht. After receiving a donation from Irmina of Oeren / Trier, Willibrord established the benedictine abbey of Echternach in 698 AD on the site of a Roman villa. When Willibrord passed away at age 81 in 738 AD, he was buried as per his wishes at Echternach, where his tomb is still to be found today. During his lifetime and as part of his legacy, he is known for a number of miracles, including healing wells close to the abbey. The veneration of St Willibrord culminates in the hopping procession of Echternach, now included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, which is held annually on Whit Tuesday.
Rose window above the Klais organ depicts astronomic signs of the zodiac 
Madonna and Child c. 1470 AD 
The Echternach System: the inclusion of two smaller arches in a large arch 
Remnants of the abbey prior to Battle of the Bulge 
The Chapel of Relics: Herein lies a piece of cloth from St Willibrord’s vestments
The Echternach abbey originally comprised of a simple straight church. As the congregation grew and devastation occasionally hit (including Battle of the Bulge), over the centuries the church was gradually expanded and rebuilt to become the Romanesque basilica it is today.
Built around 800 AD, the crypt is particularly interesting. Therein lies the remains of St Willibrord in a white Carrara marble shrine together with 11th century frescoes and the so-called St Willibrord’s spring – reminiscent of the saint’s baptismal activity.
The abbey is part of the cultural walk “Via Epternacensis” guiding visitors to all the historical landmarks in Echternach, including two sites that were closed during our visit: a Roman villa (1st to 5th century) and the Abbey Museum. Each stop en route is signposted by a Via Epternacensis plaque.
a prison
Moien vu Lëtzebuerg 