Church of Our Lady, Bruges. Photo by Joseolgon. Wikimedia Commons.

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Church of Our Lady, Bruges


 

The Church of Our Lady in Bruges is an impressive medieval church, built from the 13th-15th centuries and containing Michelangelo’s sculpture of the Madonna and Child. The Church of Our Lady in  Bruges, Belgium, dates mainly from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. This church is essentially “…a monument to the wealth, sophistication, taste, and devotion of this most Catholic city, whose history and faith stand today celebrated in this wonderful building.”

Its tower, at 115.6 metres (379 ft) in height, remains the tallest structure in the city and the third tallest brickwork tower in the world after St. Mary’s Church in Lübeck and St. Martin’s Church in Landshut, both in Germany. Let’s look at the Top 10 Remarkable Facts about the Church of Our Lady, Bruges.

1. The building depicts a gothic and baroque architectural style

 

Photo by Franky Schutz. Wikimedia Commons.

The church demonstrates the Gothic style in the prominent Flying buttresses on the exterior which were constructed in the 1270s and 80s. The nave contains cross-vaults and black and white tiled flooring.

The interior demonstrates the heavily ornamented Baroque style in the side aisles and chancel. One of the chapels in the church was created in 1482 for a wealthy man named Lodewijk van Gruuthuse, as his personal worship area.

2. It has the sculpture of Madonna and child

The altarpiece of the large chapel in the southern aisle, known as the Cappella sacra created in the 18th century in the Baroque style, enshrines the most celebrated art treasure of the church—a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child created by Michelangelo around 1504. There is evidence of this date based on payments being made to Michelangelo by Florentine bankers Baldassare and Giovanni Balducci between 1503-1504.

The block of marble used to sculpt the Madonna weighed close to a ton so suitable locations for carving would have been limited. It is likely that Michelangelo began carving the sculpture in Carrara, as he was there for close to a year in 1505.

3. The Madonna sculpture was initially meant to be for Siena cathedral

The Madonna was completed in 1506. It was probably meant originally for Siena Cathedral; however, it was purchased in Italy by two Brugean merchants, the brothers Jan and Alexander Mouscron.

This was due to a monetary disagreement that led to Michelangelo having the statue brought privately to the Mouscrons in Bruges instead and in 1514 it was donated to its present home. The sculpture was a memorial to the Mouscron parents.

4. Some notables have been buried in the church

Photo by Torsade de Pointes. Wikimedia Commons.

In the choir space behind the high altar are the tombs of Charles the Bold, last Valois Duke of Burgundy, and his daughter, the duchess Mary. The gilded bronze effigies of both father and daughter repose at full length on polished slabs of black stone.

Both are crowned, and Charles is represented in full armor and wearing the decoration of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The dress and ornamentation of the bronzed Mary is consistent with the Gothic style, and around the sides of the stone is a genealogy.

5. The church has exquisite paintings and carvings

The choir aisle is also a treasure trove of exceptional pieces: paintings and exquisite woodcarving, the 16th-century ceremonial tombs of Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold, as well as other painted tombs from the 13th and 14th centuries, etc.

There are outstanding paintings by Pieter Poubus (Last Supper and Adoration of the Shepherds) and Gerard David (Transfigeration) but after the Michelangelo it is the choir area that holds most interest.

6. The Madonna sculpture was stolen twice from the church

One of the church’s most celebrated treasures has also been the most poorly guarded: Not once but twice, a diminutive marble sculpture of the Virgin and Child by Michelangelo has disappeared—first carried off by French revolutionaries and then by the Nazis—and both times been recovered.

After the French Revolutionists took the Austrian Netherlands in 1794, it was transferred to Paris. After Napoleon’s downfall, it was returned to Belgium before being stolen again by German forces during World War II. It was finally restored to Belgium and installed at the Church of Our Lady in Bruges.

7. Michelangelo worked under many popes creating artwork

Madonna with child and angels. Photo by Giovanni Battista Salvi da Sassoferrato. Wikimedia Commons.

Michelangelo remained at the center of the Catholic Church for over 50 years, working under nine popes and creating an incomparable array of art throughout a period of theological division, Reformation, and Counter-Reformation.

He sculpted a figure of Moses for Julius’  scaled-down tomb; he worked on the design of the Medici Chapel, and at the age of 60, he contributed to the Sistine Chapel by creating The Last Judgment (1541) on its massive altar wall.

 

8. Michelangelo’s Madonna and child is unique

The Madonna and Child was a common theme that had been portrayed by many sculptors other than Michelangelo. His was different from the usual depiction of a mother happily looking down at her baby.

In this portrayal, she seems to be looking away as if in contemplation about his future, while the baby Jesus seems ready to leap from the statue and join the world awaiting him.

9. The church stands as a reflection of historical wealth

The grand majesty of the Church of Our Lady in Bruges is a reflection of the historical wealth and importance of what was once one of the most influential financial centres in Europe. The church was built at the height of this period between the 13th and 15th centuries.

The tower is mammoth in size, with beautifully rendered brickwork, at 115.6 metres it is the tallest building in the city and the second tallest brickwork tower in Europe (the tallest is St Martin’s Church, Landshut, Germany.)

10. It’s construction began in 1225

Photo by Superchilum. Wikimedia Commons.

The construction of the church began around 1225. She was built on the relics of a former, presumably 9th-century Roman chapel. The 122-meter high brick tower controls the Brugse skyline. The hull of the tower was built between 1270 and 1340. The tip however was added much later in the 15th century and was again rebuilt in the 19th century.