CHURCH OF OUR BLESSED LADY OF THE SABLON

Description

Essentials about the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon in brief

Notre-Dame du Sablon (Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon) is one of the most important and also most beautiful churches in Brussels. Located between Place du Grand Sablon and Place du Petit Sablon, the St. Mary’s Church was built in the course of the 14th and 15th centuries and is one of the most worth seeing Gothic buildings of the Belgian capital. An architectural highlight are the colorful stained glass windows.

The history and architecture of the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon

In the 13th century, what is now the Sablon district of Brussels was nothing more than a large sandy area that served as a burial ground. In 1304, the crossbowmen’s guild built a chapel here. After a statue of the Virgin Mary, stolen from an Antwerp church and supposedly miraculous, was placed in the chapel in 1348, it became a center of attraction for believers who made generous donations to the chapel.

At the beginning of the 15th century, this prompted the crossbowmen’s guild to replace the chapel with a new and larger sacral building. First, the southern transept and the first two pillars of the nave were built, followed by the northern transept and the choir, as well as the longitudinal aisles, which were extended once again at the beginning of the 16th century. The massive retaining walls indicate that the construction of a tower was planned. When riots broke out after the death of Charles the Bold in 1477, construction work came to a halt. It was not until the reign of Philip the Fair that work on the side aisles and the main portal continued.

When Calvinism took hold in Brussels at the end of the 16th century, the church was closed, but beyond that suffered little from the religious unrest due to the protection of the military guilds. Under French rule at the end of the 18th century, it was briefly deconsecrated and closed, but was restored as a place of worship in 1803. At the end of the 19th century, the church underwent a thorough renovation, which lasted until 1907.

Despite its eventful history, the Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon has retained its original architectural style. To this day, the 15th and 16th century Flamboyant Gothic style elements are visible from afar. In addition, the church is a magnificent example of the famous Brabant pointed arch architecture. Incidentally, an architectural highlight of the 65-meter-long and 57-meter-wide church worth seeing are its colorful stained glass windows.