St Michael and Gudula Cathedral in Brussels

The St Michael and Gudula Cathedral is located on the border of lower and upper Brussels, atop the Treurenberg Hill. French speakers refer to it as Cathédrale Saints-Michel-et-Gudule, while in Dutch it is called Sint-Michiels-en-Sint-Goedelekathedraal, often abbreviated to Sint-Goedele. This is a site of the the Primate of Belgium. Owing to its location in the country’s capital, the church has over the years been used as the venue for Catholic ceremonies of national significance, such as royal weddings, christenings and state funerals. Restoration works that were carried out in the cathedral throughout the entire 20th Century were not completed until December 1999. On December 4, 1999 the wedding between the Belgian Crown Prince Philippe and Princess Mathilda was held within the newly restored interior. Apart from those momentous ceremonies, the cathedral is also where concerts and other artistic events take place.

In 1047, Lambert II, Count of Leuven founded a chapter in this church and moved here the reliquaries of the martyr St Gudula, until then housed in Saint Gaugericus Church on Saint Gaugericus Island (they are still preserved in the cathedral). Little can be confirmed about the life of the martyr beyond the fact that she was a daughter of a 7th-century Carolingian nobleman. She and Archangel St Michael are not only the church patron saints, but also the patrons of Brussels.

The original St Gudula Church lost its Romanesque appearance, when due to its increasing importance it was rebuilt in Gothic style during the 13th Century. Interestingly, the foundations of the first church can still be seen under the crypt of the cathedral. The facade was constructed in the 15th Century. In the south tower, a 49-bell carillon by the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry is played in concert every Sunday.

A spacious staircase from 1861 leads to the three gates of the entrance. Inside, the nave and the transept both date from the middle of the 15th Century. What catches the eye of every visitor to the church is the Baroque pulpit, executed by Hendrick Verbruggen in 1699, that depicts the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. However, the most stunning feature of the interior has to be the triforia and glass-stained windows, meant to let sunlight into the church. They are all noteworthy, having been designed by various great artists, but deserving special attention are those attributed to Bernard van Orley, a 16th Century court painter. Constructed between 1226 and 1276, the choir is darker due to the smaller window openings. On the left side of the choir, the northern chapel displays portraits of several kings and emperors who donated the precious glass-stained windows, among them: Joao III of Portugal, Louis of Hungary, Francois I of France and Ferdinand I. Additionally, in the choir one can see the windows of the following monarchs: Maximilian of Austria, Philip the Beautiful, Philip II of Spain, Charles V as well as Philibert of Savoy with his spouse Margaret of Austria.