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When approaching Bruges,
one can already see from afar the highest tower in the
city, the tower of Our Lady's Church. Although this
church is not the most important one on the religious
level (St Salvator's church is) it certainly attracts
most visitors because of its medieval character and the
important works of art that can be admired here.
Architecturally Our Lady does not present a uniform
style. The construction has to be situated between the
second half of the 13th century and the late 15th
century. The style varies from late Romanesque style
over Scheldt-Gothic to French Gothic.
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Furthermore, in the 18th
century Our Lady was transformed into a more
contemporary style. Around 1900, however, the church was
renovated whereby the renovators tried to re-establish
the original medieval styles. The most important and eye-catching
part of the church is certainly the tower. The building
started in the middle of the 13th century. The tower
reaches a heigth of 122 meters, which makes it the
second highest church tower in Belgium (The cathedral of
Antwerp has the highest tower: 123 m !). A really
enormous mass of bricks was used for the tower. It is
impossible to imagine that this mighty edifice could one
day collapse or that some authority would decide to
demolish it. The tower looks like it was built for
eternity.
The reason why so many tourists visit Our Lady is, of
course, the presence of the Madonna by Michelangelo and
the splendid tombstones of Mary of Burgundy and her
father Charles the Bold.
Michelangelo's Madonna
In the sacrament chappel in the right wing of the church
is the famous Madonna by Michelangelo. This beautiful
marble sculpture is the only sculpture by the great
Italian artist that can be seen in the Low Countries. It
was made for the cathedral of Sienna, but two merchands
from Bruges (Jan and Alexander Moscroen) brought it to
Bruges after one of their business trips to Italy in
1506.
The tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy
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In the choir of the church
are the splendid tombstones of Mary of Burgundy and her
father Charles the Bold. Duchess Mary reigned over the
Low Countries in the last part of the 15th century and
died in Bruges in 1482 after she fell from her horse
during a hunting trip in the surroundings of Bruges. Her
father had died in 1477 in Nancy, France. In 1550 the
remains of Charles the Bold were brought to Bruges and
buried next to those of his daughter Mary. The tombs of
both dukes were decorated in late gothic style (Mary's)
and early renaissance style (Charles'). In front of both
tombs is a triptych by Barend van Orley.
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Location (Address) |
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Telephone |
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Vrouwekerkhof Zuid,
Brugge 8000, Belgium |
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Tel: 00 32-0-50 33
19 17 |
Back to Bruges Churchs /
Cathedrals Directory
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