CATEHDRAL OF ST. MICHAEL AND ST. GUDULA

Description

Essentials about the St. Michael and St. Gudula in brief

For those interested in churches, a visit to the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is a must during a visit to Brussels. The cathedral is not only the main church of the city of Brussels and the seat of the Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels, but also one of the most beautiful and historically important churches in the Belgian capital. As the national church of the Kingdom of Belgium, St. Michael and St. Gudula frequently host royal weddings, state funerals and similar ceremonies.

The history of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

On the site of the present cathedral there was already in Carolingian times (in the 8th century) a baptistery dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. In the 11th century this was replaced by a Romanesque church. With the transfer of the bones of St. Gudula here in 1047, Gudula became the second patroness of the church. By the way, Gudula and Michael are also the city saints of Brussels.

The present construction was begun in 1226 by order of Henry II, Duke of Brabant. It took about 300 years to finish the church with the completion of the 69 meters high towers at the end of the 15th century. In 1962, the church officially received the title of cathedral. As the national church of the Kingdom of Belgium, St. Gudula frequently hosts royal weddings, state funerals and similar ceremonies.

The architecture of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula is built in the Gothic style. The highlight of the 114-meter-long and 57-meter-wide cathedral is its 16 choir windows with 1,200 stained glass windows, some of which date back to the 16th century. They make for a bright, light-filled interior.

The interior of the cathedral is relatively sober in design. The reason for this is that the church was plundered by iconoclasts and French revolutionaries during its history. The mixture of different architectural styles in the background is also striking, which can be explained by the long construction period of the cathedral.

On the columns of the nave are twelve larger-than-life figures of apostles from the 17th century. The Baroque pulpit, carved in 1669, depicts the expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise in a life-size full sculpture. Also worth seeing is the Baroque high altar made of white and black marble. The cathedral is also known for its carillon with 49 bells in the south tower.