The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (; by locals, is a medieval Catholic cathedral in central Brussels, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, the patron saints of the City of Brussels, and is a major example of Brabantine Gothic architecture.

The Romanesque church's construction began in the 11th century, replacing an earlier chapel, and was largely complete in its current Gothic form by the 16th, though its interior was frequently modified in the following centuries. The building includes late-Gothic and Baroque chapels, whilst its neo-Gothic decorative elements, including some of its stained glass windows in the aisles, date from restoration work in the 19th century. St. Gudula also stands out for its musical components, notably its two pipe organs and its immense church bells. The complex was designated a historic monument in 1936. As the national church of Belgium and the Primate of Belgium's official seat, it frequently hosts royal weddings, state funerals and other official ceremonies, such as the Te Deum on Belgian National Day.

Since the mid-20th century, following the construction of the North–South connection, St. Gudula has been situated on the /, a large forecourt east of the /. This area is served by Brussels-Central railway station, as well as by Parc/Park metro station on lines 1 and 5 of the Brussels Metro.

History

Early history

The cathedral's origins are obscure, but historians agree that, as early as the 9th century, a chapel dedicated to Saint Michael probably stood in its place, on what was the most important point of Brussels at the time; the crossroads of two major trade routes—a first one connecting the County of Flanders and Cologne, and another between Antwerp and Mons, then France. These crossroads were located on the Treurenberg hill (; "Mount of sorrows"), where the St. Gudula Gate stood (integrated in the first city walls), and which was later used as an ominously famous prison, hence its name. In the 13th century, Henry I, Duke of Brabant, ordered two round towers to be added to the church. His son, Henry II, Duke of Brabant, instructed the building of a Brabantine Gothic collegiate church in 1226. The choir was constructed between 1226 and 1276. The nave and transept date from the 14th and 16th centuries. The entire church took about 300 years to complete. The main structure was finalised just before Emperor Charles V's reign began in 1519. The church's current patron saints, Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, are also those of the City of Brussels.

Restoration work was carried out in the 19th century under the direction of the architect Tilman-François Suys who, from 1839 to 1845, restored the towers and portals, and again in the 20th century under the direction of Jean Rombaux, then Victor Gaston Martiny, chief architect-town planner of the Province of Brabant and member of the Royal Committee for Monuments and Sites. The cathedral was once again thoroughly restored between 1983 and 1999.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">

File:Doop Louis Philipp.jpg|Baptism of Crown Prince Louis-Philippe, son of King Leopold I, in St. Gudula's Church, 1833

File:Eglise Sainte-Gudule - Façade ouest - Bruxelles - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - APMH00011282.jpg|The church in the early 20th century

File:Briefkaart Sint Gudulakerk en straat in Brussel.jpg|The street (now demolished) in front of the church, in the 1920s

File:Begrafenis van Koningin Elizabeth van België te Brussel het stoffelijk overscho, Bestanddeelnr 918-5094.jpg|Funeral of Queen Elisabeth at the (by then) cathedral, 30 November 1965

</gallery>

Description

thumb|right|The cathedral's main features

Most of the cathedral is in the Brabantine Gothic style, although some parts are in the newer Baroque style. It is traditionally listed, alongside the Church of Our Lady of the Chapel and the Church of Our Lady of Victories at the Sablon, as one of the three Gothic churches still standing in central Brussels. The cathedral is built of stone from the Gobertange quarry, which is located in present-day Walloon Brabant, approximately south-east of the cathedral's site.

The building adopts the classic plan: a Latin cross with a three-bay long choir ending in a five-sided apse surrounded by an ambulatory.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">

File:ST MICHEL ET GUDULLE.jpg|View of the monumental staircase

File:Cathedral in Brussels 01.jpg|Bust of King Baudouin in front of the cathedral

File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Monument Roi Baudouin - 02.jpg|Closeup of King Baudouin's bust

</gallery>

Interior

The nave possesses all the characteristics of Brabantine Gothic; the four-part vaults are moderately high and the robust cylindrical columns that line the nave's central aisle are topped with capitals in the shape of cabbage leaves. Statues of the twelve apostles are attached to the columns. These statues date from the 17th century and were created by Lucas Faydherbe, Jérôme Duquesnoy the Younger, Johannes van Mildert and Tobias de Lelis, all renowned sculptors of their time. The statues replaced those destroyed by iconoclasts in 1566. The nave also contains a Baroque pulpit from the 17th century, made by the Antwerp sculptor Hendrik Frans Verbruggen in 1699. The base represents Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Eden after plucking the forbidden fruit. At the top, the Madonna and Child piercing the serpent symbolise redemption.

To the right of the portal of the northern transept is an elegant 17th-century sculpture depicting The education of the Holy Virgin by Saint Anna by Jérôme Duquesnoy the Younger after a painting by Rubens.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="220">

Catedral de San Miguel y Santa Gúdula de Bruselas, Bélgica, 2021-12-15, DD 19-21 HDR.jpg|The nave lined with cylindrical columns supporting the twelve statues of the apostles

File:Brussels - Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula Pulpit.jpg|Baroque pulpit by Hendrik Frans Verbruggen (1699)<!-- Brighter image, less shadows -->

File:Adam et Eve chaire cathedrale Bruxelles.jpg|Adam and Eve expelled from the Garden of Eden, detail of the pulpit

File:0723 - Belgientour 2015 - Brüssel (21529843759).jpg|Confessional by anonymous (17th century)

</gallery>

Choir and chapels

The choir is Gothic and has three rectangular bays and a five-sided apse. It also contains the mausoleums of the Dukes of Brabant and Archduke Ernest of Austria made by Robert Colyn de Nole in the 17th century. Its elevation is on three levels; large arcades communicating with the ambulatory, triforium and high windows.

Left of the choir is the Flamboyant Gothic Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the Miracle (1534–1539). It now houses the Treasure of the Cathedral, where the famous Drahmal Cross (also known as the Brussels Cross), an early 11th-century Anglo-Saxon inscribed cross-reliquary, is stored. Jean Micault, receiver general of Charles V, and his wife, Livine Cats van Welle, were buried there, and an altarpiece, probably commissioned by their son Nicolas, was dedicated to them. It was made by the Renaissance painter and tapestry designer Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen. This triptych is now in the collections of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.

Right of the choir is the Chapel of Our Lady of Deliverance (1649–1655), which was built in a late Gothic style and contains a Baroque altar by Jan Voorspoel (1666).

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">

Catedral de San Miguel y Santa Gúdula de Bruselas, Bélgica, 2021-12-15, DD 34-36 HDR.jpg|Organ by Gerhard Grenzing (2000)

Bruxelles, Cattedrale dei SS. Michele e Gudula, Organo Collon.JPG|Choir organ by (1977)

</gallery>

Bells

Both towers contain bells. The south tower contains a 49-bell carillon from 1966 by the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry, on which Sunday concerts are often given. Out of all the bells in the carillon, only seven of them can ring. They are, from heaviest to lightest: Fabiola, Maria, Michael, Gudula, Philippe, Astrid, and Laurent. Fabiola, Philippe, Astrid and Laurent are named after members of the Belgian royal family.

The north tower contains a single bourdon called Salvator, it was cast by Peter van den Gheyn in 1638. There is also another empty space where a second bourdon used to be. The bourdon has a deep crankshaft, but counterweights have already been removed. There are plans to hang it again on a straight axis with a flying clapper.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Nr. || Name || Mass (kg) || Note || Tower

|-

| 1 || Salvator || 6645 || G<sub>0</sub> || North

|-

| 2 || Fabiola || 3164 || B<sub>0</sub> || South

|-

| 3 || Maria || 2298 || C<sub>1</sub> || South

|-

| 4 || Michael || 1628 || D<sub>1</sub> || South

|-

| 5 || Gudula || 1332 || E<sub>1</sub> || South

|-

| 6 || Philippe || 975 || F<sub>1</sub> || South

|-

| 7 || Astrid || 690 || G<sub>1</sub> || South

|-

| 8 || Laurent || 485 || A<sub>1</sub> || South

|}

Trivia

Falcons in the cathedral

At the end of the 1990s, local ornithologists discovered a couple of peregrine falcons roosting on top of the cathedral's towers. In 2001, ornithologists of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) in association with the (FIR), a French association dedicated to the protection of raptors, installed a laying-nest on the edifice in an attempt to encourage nest-building. This laying-nest was never used, but in the spring of 2004, a pair of falcons nested on a balcony on top of the cathedral's northern tower. At the beginning of March, the female laid three eggs.

As a result of watching the three chicks perform acrobatic feats on the cathedral's gargoyles, at the end of May 2004, the project "Falcons for everyone" was developed by the RBINS in association with the . The project installed cameras with a live video stream on their website.

Administration

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula serves as the co-cathedral of the Archbishop of Mechelen–Brussels, the Primate of Belgium, who is currently Archbishop Luc Terlinden. Due to its location in the national capital, it is often used for Catholic ceremonies of national interest, such as royal marriages and state funerals. For example, in 1999, it was the setting for the wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz. Other official ceremonies organised in the cathedral include the Te Deum on Belgian National Day, attended by the king and other dignitaries.

See also

  • List of churches in Brussels
  • List of cathedrals in Belgium
  • List of carillons in Belgium
  • Catholic Church in Belgium
  • History of Brussels
  • Culture of Belgium
  • Belgium in the long nineteenth century

References

Footnotes

Citations

Bibliography

  • Official homepage of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
  • Virtual visit of the cathedral
  • More information about the cathedral
  • Discovery guide with pictures of the cathedral
  • Observe live falcons at the top of the cathedral