medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Some of you will remember giving me tips for my Brussels trip of a few weeks ago. I wrote it up straight away but the message I sent seems to have got lost in the ether while BT was having problems. Here is a quick précis:
As we had less than 48 hours we did not go out of Brussels and we stayed within walking distance of our hotel. Brussels is a good place for walking round, especially on a crisp autumn day.
There are one or two very pleasant parks including the Petit Place du Sablon and the Jardin D'Egmont, which has a reproduction of the statue of Peter Pan from Kensington Gardens.
There are a number of very attractive late gothic churches (the nearest equivalent I can think of in England is York Minster). None of them seem to have choir screens so there is an uninterrupted view. All those we saw had fantastic carved 17th century pulpits. Our favourite church was Notre Dame du Sablon - and not just because the guide book opens with the wonderful 'Our Lady could not remain anymore among the people of Antwerp...' thus begins the story of a miraculous statue moved from Antwerp to Brussels in a boat (reproductions of said boat in church). Despite being such a great treasure, the original statue is now lost.
The cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula is also well worth a visit. Obeying instructions from this list, we waited for the official opening time of the treasury but it never opened, so we had to be satisfied with a poster of the famous cross.
We also visited the church of St Nicholas, which has a reliquary of a group of priests and religious 'martyred' by pirates in 1572; and the church of Notre Dame de la Chapelle - where the treasury was open.
The Grand Place was the only place where the weight of tourists was a little overwhelming but it is certainly well worth a look. The spirit of the guilds is alive and well as we were not permitted to buy lace-making instruments for a friend who wished to teach herself - she would have to 'go on an approved course'
The mannequin pis is (rather like the leaning tower of Pisa but on a much less grand scale) much less tawdry than expected and really rather sweet.
We tried frites (I prefer ketchup to mayonnaise); waffles (suggest you check to see if sugar is already applied before adding maple syrup) and beef in beer. We were so busy looking (unsuccessfully) for the recommended chocolates that we did not manage to buy any.
The Musee des Beaux Arts could be a two day visit in itself. We bought a combined ticket with the Magritte galleries, which meant that, by the time we reached the main collection, we were rather tired. But the fifteenth century galleries are terrific and we still have 16th to 20th centuries to return to.
All in all, I would highly recommend it for a short break visit. Many thanks to all for their tips.
I have sent MG photos for her site and she has very kindly agreed to mount those she likes.
Dr RCE Hayes
Honorary Treasurer
Canterbury and York Society
18 Murrayfield Drive
Edinburgh
EH12 6EB
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