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The Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula
How did we manage to build such high walls without the means at our disposa l today, such as the many cranes that line the landscapes of our cities? Middle Age builders had a series of techniques and machines that allowed them to work at great heights. The masons built simple scaffolding that was fixed to holes
What is it? The Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula is, first and foremost, a church. A place where Christians gather to celebrate their religion, to pray and attend communions, weddings and funerals.
called “putlog holes” - which you can see on most old houses and buildings - drilled directly into the walls they had just built. As for the stones, they were hoisted into position by different types of tools, operated by pulleys.
It is the main church of the City of Brussels, and one of the most important in Belgium. “Cathedral” refers to a kind of super church that has an important influence. The building you can see took over 200 years to build, between the 13th and 15th centuries, and was an epic construction site! It was built in the Gothic style: the same style as the large churches built at the end of the Middle Ages. You can recognise it by looking at the windows, whose arches end in a point at the top; but also by noting the building’s dimensions (110 m long and 30 m wide) and particularly its height: the entrance towers are 69 m tall, which forces the visitor to look up to the heavens!
Why? How?
Why? How?
In our regions, in the Middle Ages, (between 500 and 1500AD), many religious buildings were built: churches, chapels, abbeys, monasteries, convents, etc.
Christianity, born 2000 years ago, spread slowly through Europe, with religious buildings being built especially from the 10th century onwards. Churches and chapels served as gathering places for local inhabitants to honour their God. Abbeys, monasteries, convents, priories, etc., were very numerous in the towns and cities of the time. They are places of life for those who have decided to dedicate their lives to God and religion; it is their work, in a way. IN THE MIDDLE AGES, religion was much more present in everyday life than it is today. Everyone went to church, as it was seen as part of the journey to reach heaven after death. Those who opposed religion were severely punished and sometimes put to death! It should also be remembered that priests, canons, abbots, etc., are not the only ones, involved. All members of the clergy were important in medieval society. They were symbols of authority, intelligence - as the ability to read and write was often reserved to them - and wealth. So people tended to trust them...
Did you know?
Brussels Cathedral is one of the richest buildings in Belgium in terms of old stained glass.
Originally, there were many more, but only those that represented important people survived. The oldest ones date from the 16th century.
If you enter the cathedral, you will notice, on the ground, a drawing made up of lighter slabs: it forms the base of the old, smaller church that preceded the current church. Thick transparent plates allow you to take a look at the old foundations.
This magnificent site quickly became, after its construction, the place where major political and religious events were organised: Charles V was proclaimed King of Spain in 1516 and, a little more recently, the future King of the Belgians Leopold III married Astrid in 1926. Even today, this place of prayer continues to host certain events of the city and the country’s national, social, relvigious and cultural life, such as most major events celebrating the royal family (funerals, weddings, including that of the current King Philippe, etc.).
Can you spot the stained glass window below in the church? And then colour it in?
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