Chances are that some time during your stay in Brussels, the messages on your answering machine will include an unexpected announcement of the imminent arrival of an old friend, who would like you to show him whatever there is of interest in Brussels.
This is the time to consider churches, particularly St. Nicholas, at the edge of the Gran’ Place, and the nearby Our Lady of the Sablon.
St. Nicholas is a small Romanesque parish church
A Christmas tree that’s left up all year round? Yes. It is part of an old tradition from the Middle Ages to visually remind the faithful of the complete calendar of Christ: nativity, childhood, adulthood, mission, death, and resurrection. Take a close look at the crèche. All the people portrayed are portraits, including Leonardo da Vinci capturing the moment on canvas. There is the local fisherman and his wife; a baker; a chimneysweep; an innkeeper and patrons; and a performer on a tightrope. In the background, you have Brussels as you might see it from St. Nicholas, with the towers of the Grand’ Place and Our Lady of the Sablon as part of the skyline. Thus, a visit to a small Romanesque church at the outer edge of the Grand’ Place give you a picture of historic Brussels.
Our Lady of the Sablon was part of the St. Nicholas crèche. Why? Historically, we have many pictures of Brussels’s Lady Church, beginning with a picture in a book of hours, which shows the church under construction. If you want to see that picture, you may find it in the nearby Beaux-Arts Museum.
Since the late 14th century, the church was supported by the ruling family, nobles, and powerful guilds of Brussels. The way to tell that the church was supported by powerful people is in both the style, Gothic, and the fact that there are relics from the region still in the church.
On entering the church, one is stuck by the wonderful stained-glass windows. Don’t be fooled into thinking that the windows are part of the medieval charm of the church. Most of the windows date from the late 19th and early 20th century, a time when the Middle Ages were quite fashionable. Look closely at the people in the windows: they are rounded, cleaner, and more secular.
All of the key items of interest are clearly marked in English, French, German, and Flemish throughout the church. On entering the little cathedral, you will be greeted by the cool darkness of the interior, the smells of beeswax and incense, and music. There is a mix of Gothic, Baroque, Neogothic, and contemporary art, indicating the continuing interest and involvement of the community.
Both churches are guides to the present and past communities of Brussels. When there was money, then-fashionable art was donated; when money was short, then the churches endured along with the parish. In both instances, the churches are long-standing members of the community and Brussels’ skyline. In both you can see the mark of lengthy involvement over centuries, which makes them wonderful manuscripts in stone.
just off the Grand’ Place. It is almost obscured by the storefront shops that use the outer wall of the church as a backwall for the shops. Fitting, because it was originally a church built by Russian merchants in the 12th century. Close ties to the local community are apparent in the mix of elegant stone and contemporary notices. The clearest connection is found in the crèche that is created once a year by parish artists.
This essay originally appeared in the Brussels Weekly, a publication of the US Tri-Missions in Brussels.
