Cultural sightseeing in Belgium. What to visit - museums, temples, castles and palaces

» The Catholic Basilica of the Sacred Heart is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was inspired by the eponymous basilica in Paris.
» This shrine is the sixth area of the Roman Catholic Church in the world.
» The church is the large structure with two towers and a green copper dome towering 89 meters above the ground. The length of the building is almost 165 meters.
» In total the church can accommodate up to 2,000 people.
»  The basilica houses a restaurant, a Catholic radio station, theater, two museums, and a place of training cavers and climbers.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » The Cathedral of Christ the Savior was built in the 19th century. Nowadays, the cathedral is a main city church. It is a bishop’s seat.
»  The cathedral is famous for its luxury interior, many religious relics and pieces of art.
»  The walls of the cathedral are decorated with Brussels canvasses of the 18th century and multicolored paintings of the 19th century. Due to them, the cathedral looks festive.
»  In the cathedral, there is a museum where you can see such precious artifacts, as “The Death of Hippolytus”, a triptych created by Dirk Bouts and Hugo van der Goes in 1470, and the painting “Golgotha”, one of the oldest canvasses in Brugge.
»  The organ in the cathedral is the oldest in the country. It was created in the baroque style in 1717.

» The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is one of the main attractions of Brussels, and the clearest example of Gothic architecture.
» The building of the cathedral is a symmetrical composition with two towers, within which there is a long staircase opening onto the terrace that is 64 meters high. The terrace offers a magnificent view of the city.
» The Cathedral has four doors decorated with wrought-reliefs and statues of saints. There is a huge stained glass above the main entrance.
» Stained glasses decorating the cathedral were created in the 16th century by Jan Haq and in 18-19th century by Jean-Baptiste Kaproner.
» The cathedral houses the mausoleum of the Belgian national hero Frederic de Merode.

» The Chapel Church is one of the oldest churches in Brussels, the first mention of which dates back to 1134 year. During its long history the church has undergone many changes; it has repeatedly been destroyed and rebuilt.
» There are graves of local nobility and famous people inside the church.
» Nowadays, the Chapel Church is the parish church of the Polish Catholic community in Brussels.
» You can see the entire collection of paintings, sculptures and stained glass inside the temple.
» The church regularly hosts a variety of concerts. It’s open to visitors all year round.

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » The Church of Our Blessed Lady is one of the clearest examples of temples built in the late Gothic style.
» The Church was built in the period from 1400 to 1594. It’s located near Small Sablon Park that was laid in honor of the great men of the sixteenth century.
» The church building is decorated with beautiful stained glass windows; bright interior lighting is turned on in the night.
» Since its construction in 1784, the church has being serving as the burial place for noble aristocratic families.
» The church is famous for its numerous sculptures adorning the facade of the building, its grounds and interior.

» The Church of Our Lady is a construction that features the combination of Gothic and Roman styles.
»  The construction lasted over 2 years and was completed in the 13th century.
»  In the spacious church with a 122-meter tower, the only sculpture of Michelangelo, “The Virgin Mary with the Baby”, is kept.
»  Some windows of the church have the shape of a Reuleaux triangle. Such windows are quite rare.
»  The church is famous for the fact that the wife of Maximilian I Mary of Burgundy who lived a short life was buried here. The emperor loved his wife very much and called her the most beautiful woman in the world.

» The octagonal church of St. Jean looks bleak and strict.
»  The church is named Saint-Jean-en-Lille, which means “a temple on the island”). The first building was built on the plot surrounded by water.
»  The founder of the church was Bishop Notger. The bishop expressed his gratitude to God for assistance in captivating the Chevremon Fortress. The warrior found rest here. The tomb with his relics was lost due to the overflow of the river. The sarcophagus of the leader was restored but his remnants were not found. The flood gave an impetus to the building reconstruction.
»  Italian and Liege architects worked on the project. Only a bell tower built in the Roman style has survived.
»  At the Saint-Jean-en-Lille, pieces of sacred art are kept: the wooden sculpture of Apostle John and the Mother of God with a baby (1230), paintings from the Late Middle Ages, a carved cross, and wooden lockets depicting St. Paul and Peter. On the altar, there is the preserved gospel dating back to 1564.
»  The interior is distinguished by stained glass windows of the 16th century, furniture on the baroque style, and a carved Gothic vault.

» The Church of St. Bartholomew attracts with its exterior. Vertical ledges of red columns contrast with the background of the white sandstone walls.
»  A lot of pilgrims following the road of St. Jacob visited the church.
»  The unfinished building was blessed when the foundation was laid.
»  The Church of St. Bartholomew built in the Roman style is located beyond the city.
»  There are two similar bell towers at the sides of the church.
»  In the hall, you can see paintings by eminent artists. The main theme of canvasses is the glorification of Jesus.
»  You can also see a brass bowl here. A font was built in the 12th century. The bowl is installed on the backs of bulls. There were 12 statues of animals but two of them have been lost. These bulls represent twelve followers of Christ. The walls of the font are decorated with five relief paintings depicting scenes from the life of celestial beings. The fineness of details really impresses. The font is placed on a pedestal in a separate room.
»  The restoration of the building lasted 7 years and was completed in 2006. The colorful ornament on painted walls was renovated. It had to change 10 000 tiles.