, image = Church Of Our Lady Bruges.jpg , imagesize = 250 , caption = Church of Our Lady , location =

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

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Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

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Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

, membership = , attendance = , website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = , founder = , dedication =

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, dedicated date = , consecrated date = , cult = , relics = , events = , past bishop = , people = , status =

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

, functional status = Active , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect = , architectural type =

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

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Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

, years built = 1270-1280 (

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

)
14th/15th century (various additions) , groundbreaking = 13th century , completed date = , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = , length = , width = , width nave = , height = , diameter = , other dimensions = , floor count = , floor area = , spire quantity = , spire height = , materials =

Brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

, parish = , deanery = , archdeaconry = , archdiocese = , diocese =

, province = , presbytery = , synod = , circuit = , district = , division = , subdivision = , archbishop = , bishop = , dean = , subdean = , provost = , provost-rector = , viceprovost = , canon = , canonpastor = , precentor = , archdeacon = , prebendary = , rector = , vicar = , curate = , priestincharge = , priest = , asstpriest = , minister = , assistant = , honpriest = , deacon = , deaconness = , seniorpastor = , pastor = , abbot = , chaplain = , logo = , logosize = The Church of Our Lady ( nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) in

, 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 in height, remains the tallest structure in the city and the third tallest

brickwork Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall. Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by si ...

tower in the world (after St. Mary's Church in

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

and St. Martin's Church in

Landshut Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also ...

, both in Germany). The church demonstrates the

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

in the prominent

Flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of an arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey lateral forces to the ground that are necessary to pu ...

es on the exterior which were constructed in the 1270s and 80s. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

contains cross-vaults and black and white tiled flooring. The interior demonstrates the heavily ornamented

Baroque style The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires includin ...

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.

Burials

In the choir space behind the high altar are the tombs of

Charles the Bold Charles I (Charles Martin; german: Karl Martin; nl, Karel Maarten; 10 November 1433 – 5 January 1477), nicknamed the Bold (German: ''der Kühne''; Dutch: ''de Stoute''; french: le Téméraire), was Duke of Burgundy from 1467 to 1477. ...

, last Valois

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

, 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 Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece ( es, Insigne Orden del Toisón de Oro, german: Orden vom Goldenen Vlies) is a Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1430, to celebrate his marriag ...

. The dress and ornamentation of the bronzed Mary is consistent with the

, and around the sides of the stone is a genealogy. There is glass over the tomb opening so the

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plast ...

es on the walls are visible from above, with Jan Borman being the creator of the tomb. The English founder of the convent at Antwerp, Mary Lovel, was buried by the high altar in 1628. She died here whilst trying to establish another convent in the city.

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

, enshrines the most celebrated art treasure of the church—a white marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child created by

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was ins ...

around 1504. There is evidence of this date based on payments being made to Michelangelo by Florentine bankers Baldassare and Giovanni Balducci between 1503 and 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 Carrara ( , ; , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, in central Italy, of the province of Massa and Carrara, and notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence. Its mot ...

, as he was there for close to a year in 1505. The ''Madonna'' was completed in 1506. It was probably meant originally for

Siena Cathedral Siena Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Siena) is a medieval church in Siena, Italy, dedicated from its earliest days as a Roman Catholic Marian church, and now dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Siena, and ...

; 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

instead and in 1514 it was donated to its present home. The sculpture was a memorial to the Mouscron parents, "...which would include a 'sumptuous tabernacle' that would hold an 'excellent' sculpture of the Virgin that is 'very precious' and 'costly'..." No alterations are allowed to be made to the ''Madonna'' without proper permission. While Michelangelo was alive, the ''Madonna was'' the only sculpture to be taken out of Italy. The sculpture was twice recovered after being looted by foreign occupiers—French revolutionaries c. 1794 and Nazi Germans in 1944. Close to the Michelangelo statue important Brugeans are buried such as Françoise de Haveskercke, buried next to her husband in the black tomb of the Haveskercke family on the right side of the statue.

Gallery

Exterior

File:OLV Brugge.jpg File:Brugge, de Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (oeg82359) vanuit Oud Sint Jan foto3 2015-09-27 16.26.jpg File:Brugge statue and church.JPG File:TorenOLVkerkbrugge.jpg

Interior

File:Interieur OLV-kerk.jpg, Nave

Works of art

File:Michelangelo's Madonna and Child in Brugge.jpg, ''

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

'' by Michelangelo, 1501-1504 File:Michelangelos Madonna OLV-Kerk Brugge.jpg, ''Madonna'' by Michelangelo File:Antoon van Dijck.Kruisiging.JPG, ''Crucifixion'' by

Anthony van Dyck Sir Anthony van Dyck (, many variant spellings; 22 March 1599 – 9 December 1641) was a Brabantian Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Southern Netherlands and Italy. The seventh ...

, 1626 File:Caravaggio Liebfrauenkirche Abendmahl in Emmaus.jpg, ''Supper at Emmaüs'', formerly ascribed to Caravaggio File:Afname van het kruis.JPG, ''Deposition of the Cross''; anonymous

References

*. *. *.

External links

*
Official website of the Church of Our Lady, Bruges
{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Bruges Bell towers in Belgium Brick Gothic Gothic architecture in Belgium Collegiate churches in Belgium