André's castle: Huis de Torentjes, Lage Kanaaldijk 63, Maastricht. Article from De Nieuwe Ster, (The New Star), by Stefan Vrancken, September 14, 2025 SAINT PETER’s MOUNTAIN In September 1963, photographer G.J. (Gerard) Dukker stood on the Sint-Pietersberg (Saint Peter’s Mountain). His lens was pointed at the back of the church of St. Peter Above. On the left, in the distance, we see “Huis de Torentjes”, the famous castle-like country house that is now owned by André Rieu. The church on the mountain, built in neo-Gothic style, dedicated to the Most Holy Redeemer and St. Peter, was consecrated in 1875 by the bishop of Roermond, Joannes Augustinus Paredis. The church of St. Peter Above and Huis de Torentjes Huis de Torentjes has a long and rich history with countless successive owners. During the French siege of Maastricht in 1794, the house suffered heavy damage, making it uninhabitable. On 18 March 1795, when Maastricht was under French occupation, Huis de Torentjes changed hands. Martinus Claessens, married to his cousin Catharina Jaspers, bought the castle for 7,000 guilders, a relatively low price. Due to the heavy damage during the French siege, the value had fallen sharply. The sale and transfer of ownership was recorded in a deed drawn up by notary Lambert Hendrik Wouters. At the time of the purchase, Martinus Claessens was the owner and occupant of the well-known inn de Roode Haan (the Red Rooster), located along the Maas at the foot of the Sint-Pietersberg. After Martinus died as a widower in 1820, Huis de Torentjes was divided into the division of his estate to his eldest son Winandus Claessens, married to Maria Ida Lemperé. On October 30, 1886, an advertisement was placed in the newspaper Le Courrier de la Meuse announcing that notary Dumoulin, located in the Capucijnenstraat, would publicly sell on November 15 'The Estate, called the Torentjes, 20 minutes away from Maastricht, very pleasantly situated along the Canal and close to the church, consisting of a Heerenhuis (Mansion), which has been completely restored for a few years, containing 10 rooms, 2 kitchens and 3 cellars, furthermore a spacious terrace, workman's house, 2 gardens planted with very fine fruit trees and a plot of orchard.' Source information: www.delpher.nl / Archive of the Maastricht notaries, held by the Historisch Centrum Limburg (HCL)

The church of St. Peter Above and Huis de Torentjes (1963) Image: Image bank of the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, document number 82.111.