Quote: From the outside the Church of Our Lady is one of the most impressive looking churches I have ever seen purely from an aesthetic viewpoint. The building is absolutely stunning and I spent ages just admiring the façade of it.
The church was started in the 13th century and completed in the 15 century and today is famous for having the tallest brick built spire in the world at 381 feet high. The tower of the church was actually one of the things we used as a guide while exploring Bruges as it could be seen from nearly every part of the city so if we got lost we just headed in its direction to find our way back to our hotel.

As well as just being a beautiful building it also has some gorgeous grounds which are like something straight out of medieval times (if you ignore the throngs of tourists everywhere). It is especially stunning at night when it and the grounds are all lit up and it really is picture postcard perfect.
Bizarrely when we were visiting the city they had an outdoor art exhibit going on with art works dotted all over the city and just outside the church they had a sculpture of a plane which was made to look as if it had crashed into the ground. It was quite bizarre seeing this plane in the grounds of this old church but I actually liked the juxtaposition of the old and the new.

I would have been quite happy just to have admired the outside of the building but as I am a history buff and love the architecture inside old churches and cathedrals we decided to venture inside and have a look.
Now I am not religious but you couldn’t fail to be impressed with the inside of the church as it is almost as stunning as the outside.

The atmosphere inside the church is really serene and although I have seen much more lavishly decorated churches this one had a really special feel to it.
The stain glass windows were wonderful and the church has another claim to fame in that it has the only original Michelangelo statue to leave Rome in his life time. The Madonna and child statue is worth seeing but it isn’t the most impressive of his statues so don’t be expecting it to rival some of the ones in Rome.

The altar is a more a piece of art than anything and I loved looking around at the statues adorning the walls and marvelling at the level of workmanship that it must have taken to get the church to look like it does.
There are also two sarcophaguses of Mary of Burgundy and her father Charles which are really beautiful though slightly eerie to look at.

There is quite a lot to see in the church and I would recommend that you give yourself enough time to really appreciate everything and take it all in.
The church isn’t free to go round but at only 4 Euros it is a small price to pay to see all it has to offer. Once you have finished exploring the church make sure and go explore the grounds as for me these were the real highlight of my trip to the church.

From journals Beautiful Bruges pt 2

Quote: The "Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk " (Church of Our Lady) is on the canal and a short walk from the "Grote Markt" and the "Burg." There is a small bridge over the canal that leads to the back of the church. Built from the 13th to 15th century, the spire is 396 feet tall and is visible from miles away.

Reaching the church via the above-mentioned bridge and coming in from the rear gives one the mistaken impression that the church is relatively new. While it has been renovated throughout its' history, and has a number of different styles, basically it is a Gothic building.

Unlike the "Basilica of the Holy Blood," the "Church of Our Lady (which I have misidentified as the "Cathedral of Our Lady" in places) is anything but plain. The church is stunning in every way and is famous for a Carrara marble sculpture by Michelangelo. Known world-wide as the only piece of his work that left Italy during the artist's lifetime, the "Madonna and Child" is a marvelous example of the great artist's work.

The sculpture's setting is no less impressive with two sculptures on each side and a Painting above. I saw people who were moved to tears by the sculpture and its presence almost close enough to touch. Others just stand in awe.

The church is large, it's huge, but it has such majesty and splendor that I don't think that it can be experienced in any other way but in person. The "Madonna and Child" are certainly part of that emotion, but the rest of the church has no understated opulence. The splendor almost knocks the viewer over as one scene is more beautiful than the next. Tour group leaders seem to have difficulty keeping their groups together. Visitors just seem to wander off, in many ways oblivious to everything but where their eves are looking. The best story that I can tell is about the leader of a tour group who walked in the entrance with her group following. She got quite a distance away from the group because two guests had just barely passed through the entrance when they stopped - dead. For a few seconds no one else could get in. That would be my definition of "awestruck."

Behind the High Alter is the church's Museum which is filled with centuries old vestments, chalices and other church pieces. There are two excavated crypts from priests who were buried in the 13th and 14th centuries Also in the museum are two bronze tomb sculptures of George the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and his daughter, Mary of Burgundy. Between the tombs is another marvelous painting by Anthony van Dyke: The Crucifixion (see photograph).

Entrance to the church is free, however there is a charge for the museum, which is well-worth the price. The Church of Our Lady is also on the "Do Not Miss" list for Bruges.
From journals Caution - Belgium Will Sneak-up On You - Bruges

Quote: The second church I visited in Bruges could hardly have been more different from the first (that being the Basilica of the Holy Blood) but I loved it with almost as much ardour as the first and for completely different reasons.

Where the basilica was dark and Romanesque with strong Gothic structures and vibrant murals against low lit walls with the wonderful and almost foreboding awareness that the blood of Christ was kept just around the corner - the Church of our Lady is high vaulted grandeur and golden lit simplicity. The tower of the church climbs relentlessly into the skyline and you can see it's spire from around the city (it is, I believe the tallest structure in the city, and I have heard that it's the second tallest brickwork structure in the world)

But its' not the size of it that will blow you away. Some churches and cathedrals wow you with their size, but for me it was a very majestic simplicity that set this church apart.

It was a different (but equally cold) morning that I made my way to this church. Each of these Belgian churches held more interest for me than the simplicity of visiting a beautiful, historic building. As much as I do enjoy visiting these places - you can only go to so many ancient European churches before they lose their charm. (Or can you? Even as I wrote that I wondered if it were true...) But on this trip I did want to visit both of these specifically for the treasures that they held.

The Basilica's obvious draw is right in the title, as is - (though perhaps not quite so obvious) the Church of Our Lady. Not only is it a spectacular church to see in it's own right (and it is - at this moment it sits as one of my favourite in the world - perhaps largely because once again the tourists that did visit it visited it with a sense of awe and respect and quiet dignity which I find so painfully rare these days) but because it houses what is also becoming one of my favourite works of art by Michelangelo.

Funnily enough, I almost walked out of the church entirely without seeing it. I was so engaged by the way the light burst through the large windows across the pale yellow stone and lit up the various beautiful statues, vaulted ceilings and unbelievable carved pulpit (done by Belgian artist Jan Antoon Garemijn) that I almost left the church without seeing it's most amazing treasure.

I had walked right past the big area where the Madonna and Child sculpture sits, and because I was so focused on this other smaller statue that was picking up the light beautifully from a window high above, I somehow turned and missed the only work of Michelangelo's ever to leave Italy in his life time and headed to walk out the door.

For me - this really says something about both Bruges and the Church of our Lady which is one of the reasons I've come to love them both so thoroughly. I can't imagine anywhere else I've been where I could be standing but a few feet from a sculpture by Michelangelo and not be poked and prodded by signs and tourist information and lines of gawking tourists and flashbulbs going off and guards reminding me where to stand and how close I can get.

No - this was a beautiful piece of art by an amazing artist - in a church. Pure and simple. And when I realized my mistake (there was a small notice by the door of the church telling about the sculpture) I returned to stand in the quiet awe of a brightly lit winter morning for as long a silent moment as I chose.

Others came to view it as well while I stood there - but they too admired it quietly and moved on. It was a fantastic moment for me, which undoubtedly colored my feelings both about the church and the art (Michelangelo's is far from the only piece of noteworthy art here) but that's certainly not a bad thing. And I recommend that you try the same - you may come away feeling as grateful for it's existence as I do.


From journals We shall strike a balance between culture and fun

Quote: There is a nice little article at travelofftheradar.com highlighting the Church of Our Lady in Bruges. It's architecture and style is supposed to be interesting...and it being the tallest building in the city, I'm sure it's hard to miss...

http://www.travelofftheradar.com/2009/04/church-of-our-lady-bruges/