Last Friday, I went on a tour of St. Michael Cathedral with the American Women’s Club. The cathedral, in downtown Brussels, was built over a period of 300 years, starting in the 13th century. After some explanation on different architecture styles and time periods, it was easy to spot differences throughout the church.
The tour was specifically focused on the crypts from the 1000′s that were discovered when the church was being renovated. The walls were covered with carvings of people’s names, dogs and other animals and even a date in Roman numerals – graffiti of the time. Though this was interesting, I particularly enjoyed learning about the stained glass windows.
The first thing I learned about the stained glass windows is that it was mostly political – they were honoring the king and his family. In this window, you can see the king and his brother kneeling before God. The family’s coat of arms are shown below and the flag’s of the countries they ruled at the top.
Several of the windows showed political leaders (kneeling) with their patron saints and wives behind them. At the tops, it showed the coat of arms and the initials of the leader. I think this one was Ferdinand and Ann in the 1500′s.
There were also some windows that told stories. I liked seeing the detail in the outfits the people wore in this one.
And there were some that did tell bible stories. This is one of my favorites showing judgment day, with some people going to Heaven, above the blue sky.
Our guide explained that the bright windows like this were made by crushing colored stones and mixing them with melted glass. Other windows from another time period were much darker because they got their color by painting on them.
After the tour of the church, we went by the Belgian Cartoon Center and the Botanique Cultural Center to learn about Art Nouveau and Art Deco architectural styles. Those styles are much more my taste. Our tour ended at a beautiful Art Deco-style cafe called Ultieme Hallucinatie. Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos, but it was a very ornate, cozy place.
To see more of my photos from this tour, check Flickr:
- St. Michel Cathedral (25 photos)
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These are some amazing photos!nnLilacspecs´s last blog post..Fridays For Skin – Therefore What do I do?
Dallas, what extraordinary photos. Thanks for the cliff notes lesson on this church. I never knew the stained glass could be political.
Bright, vibrant colors! I love all the details in the stained glass and you presented them with such flair!nnLisa’s Chaos´s last blog post..Further proof that Wisconsinites are crazy ;)
The pictures of the stained-glass windows are exquisite.nnDavid Thompson´s last blog post..Avram Villa, Asmara
Gorgeous shots and such a beautiful place!
your photography is beyond amazing, beyond words. you have a way with capturing the beauty in every picture.
you obviously have an amazing eye, i cant wait to see more of your sewing.
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