Chapel Church

Brussels, Belgium

The Église de la Chapelle (French) or Kapellekerk (Dutch) is a Roman Catholic church founded in 1134 by Godfrey I of Leuven near what were then the town ramparts. The present structure dates from the 13th century. Part of the structure was damaged by the French during the bombardment of Brussels in 1695 as part of the War of the Grand Alliance. It was restored in 1866 and again in 1989. It contains work by Jerôme Duquesnoy and Lucas Faydherbe.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder was buried in this church. The funeral monument erected by his sons in his honour is still in place. Part of the relics of Saint Boniface of Brussels, Bishop of Lausanne, are also buried here.

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Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Religious sites in Belgium

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Dan St-Jean (15 months ago)
A truly spectacular piece of Belgian history dating back to the 1100s. Stand in awe at the architecture and try and grasp how it must have been to build such a huge well appointed structure with the knowledge and tools of that period. Elegant yet simple. Beautiful yet humble.
Robin Irwin (20 months ago)
The original church dates back to 1134 and was signed by Count Godfrey I of Louvain, in which he donated a chapel erected extra oppidum Bruxelli ("outside the fortified centre of Brussels") to the Benedictine monks of Abbey of the Holy Sepulcher of Cambrai. Nothing remains of the original chapel, which was probably under the choir of the current church, whose construction began around 1210. In 1405, a fire destroyed the church. In 1574, the church was ransacked by Calvinists who destroyed its furnishing. In 1695, part of the structure was damaged during the bombardment of Brussels by the French army. It was restored from 1699 to 1708. From that on it was rebuilt multiple times untill this version of the church was made in 1989. It is a beautiful building to look at. Especially with the snow.
Ryukyu (3 years ago)
Neat place to visit.
Hania Ortega Daboin (4 years ago)
A beautiful church, the oldest in Brussels
Daniel Mestre (4 years ago)
This bells are a nightmare to close neighbors. Specially on Sunday, with 8 minutes performances early in the morning and later again in the afternoon. Church is surrounded by drunk homeless people. Not Brussels best safe area.
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