Chapel Church

Brussels, Belgium

The Église de la Chapelle (French) or Kapellekerk (Dutch) is a Roman Catholic church founded in 1134 by Godfrey I of Leuven near what were then the town ramparts. The present structure dates from the 13th century. Part of the structure was damaged by the French during the bombardment of Brussels in 1695 as part of the War of the Grand Alliance. It was restored in 1866 and again in 1989. It contains work by Jerôme Duquesnoy and Lucas Faydherbe.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder was buried in this church. The funeral monument erected by his sons in his honour is still in place. Part of the relics of Saint Boniface of Brussels, Bishop of Lausanne, are also buried here.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Religious sites in Belgium

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Alex Matheson (2 months ago)
The Church of our Lady of the Chapel was a please to visit in Brussels. It was founded in 1134, making it one of the oldest in the city. It is a wonderful example of changes. It started as a Romanesque building and was converted to the Gothic style on the 1300s. It was renovated several times afterword, but the most important was the conversion to a Baroque chapel in the 17th century. It isn’t as extravagant as some of the other churches in the area, but it is an especially beautiful Chapel that is historically significant and well worth the visit. Easily accessible by public transport.
Beate Reifenscheid (4 months ago)
It's an impressive church with beautiful baroque elements. We experience a charming chorus singing Christmas Songs.
Courtney Crawford (2 years ago)
Beautiful church both inside and out. This church has less stained glass windows than others around the city but has a nice variety of paintings inside. Worth a visit!
Dan St-Jean (2 years ago)
A truly spectacular piece of Belgian history dating back to the 1100s. Stand in awe at the architecture and try and grasp how it must have been to build such a huge well appointed structure with the knowledge and tools of that period. Elegant yet simple. Beautiful yet humble.
Robin Irwin (2 years ago)
The original church dates back to 1134 and was signed by Count Godfrey I of Louvain, in which he donated a chapel erected extra oppidum Bruxelli ("outside the fortified centre of Brussels") to the Benedictine monks of Abbey of the Holy Sepulcher of Cambrai. Nothing remains of the original chapel, which was probably under the choir of the current church, whose construction began around 1210. In 1405, a fire destroyed the church. In 1574, the church was ransacked by Calvinists who destroyed its furnishing. In 1695, part of the structure was damaged during the bombardment of Brussels by the French army. It was restored from 1699 to 1708. From that on it was rebuilt multiple times untill this version of the church was made in 1989. It is a beautiful building to look at. Especially with the snow.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.