Church of Our Lady, Bruges, Belgium

The Church of Our Lady in Bruges dates mainly from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. Its tower, at 122.3 metres in height, remains the tallest structure in the city and the second tallest brickwork tower in the world.

In the choir space behind the high altar are the tombs of Charles the Bold, last Valois Duke of Burgundy, and his daughter, the duchess Mary. The gilded bronze effigies of both father and daughter repose at full length on polished slabs of black stone. Both are crowned, and Charles is represented in full armor and wearing the decoration of the Order of the Golden Fleece.

The altarpiece of the large chapel in the southern aisle enshrines the most celebrated art treasure of the church—a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child created by Michelangelo around 1504. Probably meant originally for Siena Cathedral, it was purchased in Italy by two Brugean merchants, the brothers Jan and Alexander Mouscron, and in 1514 donated to its present home. The sculpture was twice recovered after being looted by foreign occupiers—French revolutionaries c. 1794 and Nazi Germans in 1944. Close to the Michelangelo statue important Brugeans are buried such as Françoise de Haveskercke, buried next to her husband in the black tomb of the Haveskercke family on the right side of the statue.

References:

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Religious sites in Belgium

User Reviews

Laura D'Elia (10 months ago)
Beautiful and you can see Michelangelo's Madonna of Bruges. It is free to get in the church and then you pay to see the statue

Kuba Szafran (11 months ago)
A magnificent place full of amazing pieces of art. You can enter the church free of charge, but half of it is available to see only with tickets. It's worth it! It's so impressive to see so many original ancient paintings.

Shahd khan (11 months ago)
Very beautiful place, kind staff. They give you audioguides and it’s very useful and informative. The church is well preserved and has beautiful artworks. It’s worth visiting and I would recommend it. 10/10

Refcon (12 months ago)
If you’re in Bruges don’t miss this. The only Michelangelo outside of Italy is housed in this church. There’s an €8 fee to go into the area of the church housing many of its most precious assets. We came on a Sunday afternoon & it was not crowded at all but neither was the town.

eva chan (14 months ago)
How can one resist to see a Michelangelo sculpture? Many other beautiful paintings and sculpture in the church too. Oh and!! here is the tomb of last Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary who died fell off the horse, thus handing the Flanders territory to Austria. What a sad ending to a magnificent medieval power.

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Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

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