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Chapter of Saint Servatius - 800 AD

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Chapter of Saint Servatius of the Holy Roman Empire - 800 AD

Chapter of Saint Servatius - 800 AD

The Chapter of Saint Servatius was a college of secular clergy, which was associated with the Saint Servatius in Maastricht from the Middle Ages until the end of the Ancien Regime. The secular chapter experienced its greatest heyday during the High Middle Ages, but it also remained the most powerful and richest spiritual institution in Maastricht and the surrounding area, until its abolition in the year 1797. The Chapter of Saint Servatius was re-established on 12th October 2023. 

Mission, Vision and Collaboration

 The  mission of the Chapter of Saint Servatius is to preserve, promote, and  make accessible to a wide audience the historical, liturgical, and  cultural heritage of the Chapter, the Saint Servatius Basilica and the  Holy Roman Empire. We aim to promote the values of the Roman Catholic  Faith and the Catholic Social Teaching and it’s unique heritage as a  source of inspiration, education, and connection for both the local  community and visitors from afar.  


Our vision is to be a dynamic center for cultural, educational, and spiritual activities, anchored in the rich history of the Chapter of Saint Servatius. By (co-) operating a wide range of facilities, including a museum, an art gallery, an experience center, and organizing events, excursions, and tours, we aim to create a vibrant meeting place in the “Palace of the Grand Provost of the Chapter of Saint Servatius” at Henric van Veldekeplein number 29. We will implement innovative ways to share and celebrate our heritage, while respecting the traditions that form our foundation. 


Through collaboration with other organizations  and institutions, and by encouraging the promotion of art and  friendship circles, we strive to fulfill the mission of the Chapter and  unite the past, the present and the future. In close cooperation with  all residents, organizations, and institutions, on and around Henric van  Veldekeplein, especially the church boards of the Saint Servatius  Parish, Saint John, the Treasury Board of Saint Servatius, the Board of  the “Sisters of Charity of St. Charles Boromeo”. 

The Origin of Chapter (before 1000)

The Chapter of the Saint Servatius Church in Maastricht probably originated from a monastic community that had settled near the burial church of  Saint Servatius in the early Middle Ages. The Carolingian scholars Alcuin and Einhard are both mentioned as lay abbots of Saint Servatius Abbey. The monastery was probably converted into a chapter of secular canons in the 9th century. The canons then still lived a communal life that was dominated by choir prayer, shared meals (in the refectory) and  shared dormitories (dormitories), but - unlike monks - had private  property. At the head of the chapter was the provost. The dean was  concerned about the spiritual welfare of the canons. 


The provost initially lived opposite the church in the provost of  Sint-Servaas. This was connected to the westwork of the church by a covered wooden walkway, so that the provost could enter his private chapel (Saint Agatha's chapel) in the westwork unseen. The canons had their own chapel in the Double Chapel (now Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius), located north of the transept, accessible from the cloister of the church. In the upper chapel there was a chapel and the chapter house, on the ground floor the repository of the church treasury. A few provosts and deans were also buried in the lower chapel. At least five provosts were buried in the nave of the church. 


Through donations from kings, rulers and private individuals, the chapter soon amassed considerable wealth, largely consisting of real estate. The proceeds were divided into prebends, of which about forty canons were maintained. The chapter leased the lands (approx. 2000 ha) and received grain as payment, which was stored in a large barn next to the mountain  portal of the Sint-Servaaskerk ('t Spijker).

 In addition, the chapter owned several vineyards in Germany. On other pieces of land, which the chapter did not own, tribute had to be paid in the form of an amount of money and (sometimes) a few capons. The canons were paid the attendance fee from the dues, an allowance for their presence at the choir services.


The oldest mention of a donation to the Church of Saint Servatius dates  from 779. Most of the possessions were acquired before 1050, but it is  usually impossible to find out how and when they came into the  possession of the chapter. The land belonging to the chapter of  Sint-Servaas stretched from what is now North Brabant and the area around Leuven to the Rhine, Moselle and Ahr. The core area was in the current Belgian province of Limburg, west of Maastricht.


The most important part of this core area formed the so-called Eleven Banks of Sint-Servaas, where the chapter held not only the land and the  associated rights, but also the jurisdiction over the inhabitants. Vlijtingen was the main bank of the areas to the left of the Maas. Here the chapter owned the castle Daelhof and the Blockhuis, the residence of  the riding consort (both disappeared). The steward's house of the Rijproost in Zepperen has been preserved. One of the banks, Tweebergen, was partly within the city walls of Maastricht and partly outside. The name Proosdijveld in the Mariaberg district is a reminder of this.

The Chapter (1000-1200)

In  the 11th and 12th centuries, the Saint Servatius Chapter reached the  pinnacle of its power. The ties between the Reich Church and the German  kings were close and several provosts held the office of Chancellor of  the Holy Roman Empire. The provosts almost without exception came from  the highest circles of the German nobility and often combined their  position in Maastricht with other honorable jobs, such as the  provostship in Aachen, Cologne or Bonn, or later became (arch)bishop of  Liège, Cologne or Mainz.  In 1204, the right of appointment of the  provosts passed to the duke of Brabant, after which the importance of  the chapter declined somewhat.


In  this period the canons said goodbye to communal life and went to live  independently. The canons' houses of the Sint-Servaas chapter were  located in a continuous area around the Sint-Servaaskerk, mainly on the  Vrijthof, the Sint Servaasklooster, the Henric van Veldekeplein and the  Keizer Karelplein. In this area, the claustral canal or immunity of the  chapter, there were also the Sint-Janskerk (the baptismal and parish  church), the Sint-Servaasgasthuis and the Sint-Jacobskapel (where  pilgrims were received and the sick were cared for), the deanery , the  bakery, the brewery, the storehouses and the horse stables of the  chapter. Judgment took place in the 'long corridor' of the cloister,  executions took place behind the deanery at the wall of the first  rampart, the border of immunity. Convicts from the eleven banks of  Sint-Servaas were locked up in the Burght van Heer.


In  addition to its own collegiate church (Sint-Servaas), the chapter also  exercised authority over two parish churches in Maastricht  (Sint-Janskerk and Sint-Matthijskerk) and seven neighborhood or kerspel  chapels (Sint-Jacob, Sint Joris, Heilige Geest, Sint-Amor, Wittevrouwen,  Sint-Catharina en Sint-Antonius; all demolished). In addition, the  chapter owned parish churches in more distant villages (perhaps once  founded from the diocese of Maastricht), of which the chapter held the  collation and was entitled to the tithe.

The Chapter (1200)

In 1232,  under provost Otto van Everstein, a division of property took place  between the chapter and the deanery of Saint Servatius, whereby the  provost was assigned two prebends and the canons were allowed to divide  the remaining prebends. From 1330 the dean was also entitled to two  prebends. In the 18th century, the annual income of a prebend was  estimated at 750 Dutch guilders. Of the eleven benches of Sint-Servaas,  two were assigned to the provost in 1232; the remaining nine lordships  were under the administration of the chapter. The chapter also kept the  income from the ban mills. The toll over the Maasbrug was divided; after  deducting the cost of repairs, half of the proceeds went to the  provost, the other half to the chapter. In 1646 the chapter handed over  the bridge to the city, because the maintenance became too expensive.


After  1632, the right to appoint the provosts passed from the Duke of Brabant  to the States General of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands.  At that time the provostship was sold to the highest bidder.  Nevertheless, the chapter held on to the immediacy of the kingdom;  directly dependent on Pope and Emperor and independent of Prince-Bishop  and States-General. As a result, the claustral area of ??Sint-Servaas,  where the chapter and everyone who belonged to it enjoyed immunity,  remained a kind of state within the city. Until the abolition of the  chapter, legal battles were fought over the powers of the chapter and  the States General. The chapter was also unable to prevent St. John's  Church, located within the claustral canal, from having to be ceded to  the Protestants in 1633.

In the  period after the Reformation, the chapter of Saint Servatius consisted  of approximately 190 members (not including serving staff): a provost, a  dean, 36 canons ordinary, 30 'minor' canons (chaplains, who dedicated  masses at the various altars of the Sint-Servaaskerk), about 100 other  chaplains, 10 rod bearers (court officers and bailiffs) and 12  chorisocii (guides at processions). The original purpose of the chapter  was to worship God and care about the 'church of Maastricht', but that  ideal had become clouded over time. From 1545-1563, the Council of Trent  attempted to put an end to a series of abuses in the Roman Catholic  Church. The chapter of Saint Servatius also had to deal with this and in  1556, 1557, 1559 and 1609 the canons were visited by visitation  committees (in 1557, among others with the Leuven professor and  inquisitor Ruard Tapper). After this, the chapter was urged to pay more  attention to matters such as attending choir prayers, not chatting,  laughing or arguing in the choir, wearing the tonsure and clerical  robes, the prohibition of games of chance or inn visits, compulsory  living within the claustral girth and the removal of concubines and  illegitimate children from the area. During the last visitation, the  worst abuses appeared to have been resolved.


At the end of the 18th century, some  canons once again lived outside the claustral canal. For example, the  brothers Andreas and Wilhelmus Soiron had a large mansion built on the  Grote Gracht after a design by their brother, the architect Mathias  Soiron. The provost of the chapter (also known as high provost) no  longer lived in the deanery, but in a luxurious city palace on Henric  van Veldekeplein. The provosts also had a castle in  Mechelen-aan-de-Maas, the Hof van Oensel.

End of the Chapter

 After the conquest of Maastricht by the  French Revolutionary armies in 1794, the chapter initially received  heavy war levies. To this end, a large part of the church treasure was  sold or melted down. In the end this was of no avail: in 1797 the  chapter and deanery were abolished. The final cheers, T.W.J. Baron van  Wassenaar Warmond, was captured and deported to France because he  refused to take the oath of allegiance.


All property of the church and chapter  reverted to the state. The estates leased by the chapter and deanery (a  total of about 2000 hectares) were also sold at public auction. The  church was used as a stable for horses by the French garrison and was  not given a religious function again until 1804. After the French  Period, provost Van Wassenaar Warmond made unsuccessful attempts to  restore the chapter. The last canon died in 1858 at the age of 84 in  Sint-Truiden.

Heritage of the Chapter

 The most important building that recalls  the chapter is of course the Basilica of Saint Servatius. In particular,  the priest's choir (where the canons sat in choir stalls attended the  choir prayers several times a day), the Double Chapel (with the chapter  house and the funerary and private chapel of the chapter) and the  cloister of the Basilica of Saint Servatius (with, among other things,  the refectory , today's Day Chapel) were places primarily intended for  the canons. In the cloister was also the Kapittelschool van  Sint-Servaas, now used as a sacristy. Around the church, the  Sint-Janskerk, the Sint-Servaasproosdij, the provost's palace and at  least fifteen canons' houses form the main heritage of the chapter. The  oldest canons' house - and also a place to stay for high guests - is the  Spanish Government; the youngest canons' house is Huis Soiron, located  outside the claustral canal, built a few years before the abolition of  the chapter.


A copy of the missing immunity posts that  bordered the claustral canal until 1797 can be seen in the courtyard of  the Sint Servaasklooster building 32. On the hard stone post you can  see a relief of the key of Saint-Servatius, the hallmark of the chapter.  Modern lampposts on the Vrijthof bear images of the crowned eagle,  which also refers to the chapter coat of arms. Names such as Sint  Servaasklooster and Kanunnikencour (near Henric van Veldekeplein),  Proosdijweg and Proosdijveld (both in the Mariaberg district), and  Kapittellaan (in Heugem) also refer to the chapter.

Outside Maastricht, the churches of Saint  Servatius, Monulfus and Gondulfus in particular remind us of the  influence that the Maastricht chapter had in a large area, especially in  the Eleven Banks of Sint-Servaas. De Burght is located in Heer,  formerly the prison of the chapter. The caretaker's house of the chapter  is still present in Zepperen.

The Basilica of Saint Servatius

The Basilica of Saint Servatius is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saint Servatius, in the city of Maastricht, the Netherlands. The architecturally hybrid but mainly Romanesque church is situated next to the Gothic church of Saint John, backing onto the town's main square, Vrijthof.  The present-day church is probably the fourth church that was built on  the site of the grave of Saint Servatius, an Armenian missionary who was  bishop of Tongeren and died allegedly in 384 in Maastricht. A small  memorial chapel on the saint's grave was replaced by a large stone  church built by bishop Monulph around 570. This church was replaced by a  larger pilgrim church in the late 7th century, which was then replaced  by the present-day structure, which was built in several stages over a  period of more than 100 years. The nave was built in the first half of  the 11th century, the transept in the second half of the century, and  the choir and westwork in the 12th century. The Romanesque church was  built during a period in which the chapter of Saint Servatius kept close  ties to the Holy Roman Emperors, which resulted in a building that has  the characteristics of a German imperial church. The dedication of the  church in 1039 was attended by the emperor Henry III and twelve bishops.  Most of the church's Medieval provosts were sons of the highest ranking  German noble families. Several held the office of chancellor of the  German Empire, at least eight provosts went on to become archbishops. 

The sculpted Bergportaal, at the south  side of the church, was begun around 1180 and can be considered late  Romanesque or early Gothic. All the chapels along the side aisles are  Gothic (14th and 15th centuries), and so is the vaulted ceiling of the  nave and the transept. In 1556 a late Gothic spire was added onto the  westwork between the two existing towers. In 1770 the entire westwork  was crowned with Baroque helmet spires, designed by the Liège architect  Etienne Fayen.


Over the centuries the interior of the  church underwent many changes. In the 17th century, the Gothic choir  rood screen with sculpted depictions of the life of Servatius was  demolished. Fragments from the 14th-century screen were discovered  during the 1980s restoration works and are now kept in the church's  lapidarium in the East crypt. By the end of the 18th century, the entire  church interior had been painted white, the colourful Medieval stained  glass windows had been replaced by colourless glass, and the church  looked distinctly Baroque.


The north transept holds some epitaphs,  of which the one for Egidius Ruyschen in Renaissance style is probably  the most original. Nearby is the impressive tomb of the Count and  Countess van den Bergh (Johannes Bossier, 1685), which was transferred  from the Dominican church of Maastricht. From the Dominican church were  also transferred the ornate confessionals by Daniël van Vlierden  (Hasselt, 1700), which are located in various parts of the church.

In 1797 the chapter was dissolved by the  French revolutionaries and the church was used as a horse stable by the  troops. The furnishings of the church were sold, stolen or trashed.  Likewise, most of the church treasures disappeared during the first  years of the French occupation. In 1804 the church was returned to the  parish but the building was an empty ruin. It was during the period that  followed that most of the damage was done. The 11th-century Chapel of  Saint Maternus and the 15th-century Koningskapel (built by the French  kings Charles VII and Louis XI) were considered irreparable and were  demolished. For liturgical reasons, it was deemed necessary to lower the  elevated choir, for which the underlying 11th-century crypt was  demolished. In 1846 the four panels that belonged to the reliquary chest  of Saint Servatius (Noodkist) were sold to an antiques dealer and ended  up in the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels.


Between 1866 and 1900 the church  underwent major restorations during which some of the damage done  earlier in the century was reversed. The restoration was led by famous  Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers. In 1955 a fire caused Cuypers' Gothic  Revival westwork spire to fall through the roof of the church, which  made another thorough restoration necessary (1982–1991). During this  latter restoration, Cuypers' colourful interior decoration scheme was  largely removed. During this most recent restoration, extensive  excavations that were carried out in the church and adjacent buildings,  revealed a wealth of information about the history of the church and its  predecessors.

Religious significance

Through the ages, the presence of the grave of Saint Servatius in the  church crypt and the many relics in the church treasury, have drawn  large numbers of pilgrims. Starting in the 14th century (but perhaps  earlier) a seven-yearly pilgrimage was organized in cooperation with  nearby Aachen Cathedral and Kornelimünster Abbey, attracting tens of  thousands of visitors to the region. This Pilgrimage of the Relics  (Dutch: Heiligdomsvaart) continued until 1632 when Maastricht became  affiliated with the Dutch Republic (Capture of Maastricht). The  Pilgrimage of the Relics was revived in the 19th century and the  tradition continues in our days. The most recent Pilgrimage of the  Relics took place from May 24 to June 3, 2018. 


 Today, the Basilica of Saint Servatius is the main church of the Deanery  of Maastricht, which belongs to the Diocese of Roermond. The church  continues to be a center of Catholicism in Maastricht (the other main  church being the Basilica of Our Lady). The church was made a Basilica  Minor by Pope John Paul II during his visit in 1985. 

Art historical significance

 Although the present building conveys a rather hybrid image of  architectural styles, the church of Saint Servatius is considered to be  one of the most important religious buildings in the former  Prince-Bishopric of Liège. Both the East choir and the Westwork of the  Maastricht church have been influential in the development of Romanesque  architecture in the Meuse and Rhine valleys. Several authors have  pointed out the significance of the South portal's late Romanesque  sculpture for the early development of Gothic sculpture in France. 


Romanesque sculpture

 Both the exterior of the East choir and the interior of the westwork of  Saint Servatius contain architectural sculpture that is considered  amongst the most interesting in the Mosan region. The 34 elaborately  carved capitals in the Westwork depict scenes from books well-known to  the canons, such as Saint Augustine's De Civitate Dei and various  bestiaries. Recurrent themes are: botanical ornaments, animals, humans  fighting with animals, humans entangled in plants, and humans engaged in  daily activities. A close relationship has been established by art  historians between the Maastricht Westwork capitals and those of the  East choir of Our Lady's in Maastricht, the Rolduc crypt, the dwarf  gallery of the Doppelkirche Schwarzrheindorf (Bonn), and the Wartburg  palace (near Eisenach). 



Also in the Westwork of Saint Servatius is a sculpted Romanesque choir screen, also referred to as the double relief. The lower rectangular part depicts the Virgin and Child in a mandorla held by two angels, the upper part shows Christ handing over the keys of Heaven to Saint Peter and Saint Servatius. The relief closely relates to a choir screen in Saint Peter's in Utrecht. Elsewhere in the church a 12th-century tympanum depicting the Majestas Domini can be found as part of a former portal. The choir ceiling shows remnants of ceiling paintings, depicting the visions of Zechariah. This may be the only surviving work by a once important group of Maastricht and Cologne based painters, who received high praise from Wolfram von Eschenbach in his Parzival. The church's South portal (Bergportaal) contains sculpture that marks the period of transition between late Romanesque and early Gothic sculpture. The sculpted tympanum and the two inner archivolts date from around 1180 and are Romanesque is style, the rest of the portal can be considered Gothic and dates from around 1215. 



Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius

 The Treasury of the Basilica of Saint  Servatius is a museum of religious art and artifacts inside the Basilica  of Saint Servatius in Maastricht, Netherlands. The treasure of  the church of Saint Servatius was put together over many centuries. One  of the oldest pieces (today non-existent) was a reliquary in the shape  of a triumphal arch, donated by Einhard (biographer of Charlemagne and  abbot of Saint Servatius) in the 9th century. In the 11th century a  custodian ('custos') was put in charge of the church's already seizable  treasure. 


 During the late Middle Ages the number of relics further increased. A  septennial Pilgrimage of the Relics (Dutch: Heiligdomsvaart) attracted  tens of thousands of pilgrims. At these occasions, the main relics were  shown to the pilgrims gathered in Vrijthof square from the dwarf  gallery. In 1579, the church treasure suffered badly during the Sack of  Maastricht by the Spanish troops led by the Duke of Parma. In 1634,  under the threat of war, the treasure was brought to Liège, where it  remained for twenty years. 



  After the conquest of Maastricht by the French in 1794, the chapter of  Saint Servatius was made to pay heavy war taxes. In order to pay these  taxes gold and silver artefacts from the church treasure were melted  down or sold. In 1798 the chapter was dissolved. A few important pieces  had been brought into safety by the canons, some of which were given  back after the church was restored to the religious service in 1804, but  other pieces could not be retrieved. Some of the church's former  treasures can now be found in museums and libraries around the world,  such as the National Library of the Netherlands in The Hague, the Royal  Museums of Art and History in Brussels, the Musée du Louvre in Paris,  the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin, the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the  Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, the Victoria and Albert Museum  in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Morgan Library  & Museum in New York. The present treasure of the Basilica of Saint  Servatius therefore, is much smaller than it once used to be. 



The Building

  In 1340 it was reported that the treasure of the church was kept in a  dark vaulted room on the lower floor of what is called the double  chapel. The double chapel is one of the oldest surviving parts of the  church and dates back to the 11th century. It was built adjacent to the  northern transept and can only be accessed via the cloisters. This seems  to have been the permanent location of the treasury until 1873, when it  moved to the former refectory and chapter school. 


 After the restoration of the double chapel in 1982, the treasury was  once again housed in its original location. The treasury now occupies  both floors of the double chapel and a side room on each level. The  basement floor with archaeological excavations has been made accessible.  The entrance to the treasury, via the East wing of the cloisters, is on  Keizer Karelplein, which is also the main entrance to the church. 

The Collection

 The treasure of the Basilica of Saint Servatius traditionally consists  of four parts: 1. the so-called Servatiana, objects traditionally  associated with the life of Servatius, 2. relics and reliquaries, 3.  liturgical implements and 4. ancient fabrics. The church's art  collection and various archaeological finds are not part of the treasure  but are also exhibited in the museum. 


 The art collection of the Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius  consists of a modest collection of paintings, prints, illuminated  manuscripts, wood carving, stone sculptures, alabaster and ivory  carving, enamels, and gold and silver smithing. 



Servatiana

 The key of Saint Servatius: decorative key, one of the attributes of the  saint, silver (early 9th century). Pectoral cross of Saint Servatius:  silver and golden cross (wooden core), with enamel and gemstones (10th  or 11th century), a gift to the church from the duke of Bavaria. The cup  of Saint Servatius: millefiori glass, Roman (1st century). The Crozier  of Saint Servatius: wooden staff with ivory crook (12th century).  Portable altar of Saint Servatius: green serpentine stone with silver  ornaments (12th century). 



Reliquaries

  The 'Noodkist': the reliquary shrine of Saint Servatius, an oak wooden  chest, covered with gilded copper and decorated with enamel, vernis  brun, cabochons and filigree (±1160). The 'Noodkist' was originally  positioned on the main choir of the church and was accompanied by four  panels, that in 1843 were sold and are now in the Royal Museums of Art  and History in Brussels. 


 The portrait bust of Saint Servatius: reliquary bust containing the  skull of the saint, donated by Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma after  the Sack of Maastricht (1579) in which the original bust was largely  lost.
Another important piece is the tall patriarchal cross with  relics of the True Cross, made by the Maastricht silversmith Master  Ulrich Peters, around 1490. 

Liturgical implements

 This part of the treasure suffered most during the French period  (1794-1814). Many chalices, patens, monstrances and other liturgical  objects made of gold or silver were melted down in order to pay the war  taxes that the French demanded from the canons. However, a few  liturgical vessels from the Middle Ages survived and quite a few from  the Baroque period (notably some Maastricht silver pieces) are still in  the collection. 

Textiles

  The medieval textiles collection of the Basilica of Saint Servatius is  counted among the most important of its kind. From 1989 till 1991 the  textiles were carefully restored and documented by specialists from the  Swiss Abegg-Stiftung in Riggisberg. Among the best pieces in the  collection are the so-called albe of Saint Servatius and the robe of  Monulph. Furthermore, there is an extensive collection of early-Medieval  woven silks (some dating back to the 7th century) from Constantinople,  Egypt and Central Asia and various medieval woven materials from the  Meuse-Rhine area, Spain, Italy and the Middle East. 

Archaeology

 Archaeological excavations took place in the double chapel in 1981-82.  Underneath the ground level floor of the Sacrarium inferior canons'  grave stones were found, some dating back to the 13th century. Also,  parts of walls were excavated that at the time were interpreted as the  remains of a Carolingian polygonal church. As it turned out, the walls  belonged to polygonal transept arms of a 10th or 11th century church.  These remains can be seen in the basement underneath the treasury. Part  of the archaeological collection is on display in the lapidarium in the  eastern crypt. An important find was the 1086 funeral cross of Humbert,  who was provost of the chapter of Saint Lambert's Cathedral in Liège and  Saint Servatius in Maastricht. It was he who had the double chapel  built which is today the church treasury. 

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