existing extreme dimensions, and was probably more populous than at the
present moment. But its ancient =fortifications= have been destroyed,
and their place has been taken by boulevards and canals. The line may
still be traced on the map, or walked round through a series of shipping
suburbs; but it is uninteresting to follow, a great part of its course
lying through the more squalid portions of the town. The only remaining
=gate= is that known as the =Rabot= (1489), a very interesting and
picturesque object, situated in a particularly slummy quarter. It can
best be reached by crossing the bridge near the church of St. Michel,
and continuing along the Rue Haute to the Boulevard du Béguinage, (where
stood originally the Grand Béguinage, whose place is now occupied by
modern streets.) Turn there along the boulevard to the R., till you
reach the gate, which consists of two curious round towers, enclosing a
high and picturesque gable-end. Owing to the unpleasant nature of the
walk, I do _not_ recommend this excursion.
* * * * *
The =S. quarter= of the town, beyond the Cathedral and St. Nicolas, has
been much modernized during the last two centuries. Its only interesting
points are the recent =Palais de Justice= and the =Kouter= or =Place
d’Armes=, (once the archery ground) in which a pretty flower-market is
held on Friday and Sunday mornings. The Café des Arcades, at its E. end,
occupies the site of Hubert van Eyck’s studio.
The rest of the inner town contains little that throws light on its
origin or history.
* * * * *
There is, however, one small excursion which it would be well for those
to take who have a morning to spare, and who desire to understand the
development of Ghent—I mean to the =Monastery of St. Bavon=, which
alone recalls the first age of the city. Every early mediæval town had
outside its walls a ring of abbeys and monasteries, and Ghent was
particularly rich in this respect.
[=St. Amand= was the =apostle of Flanders= and the surrounding
countries. He was sent by the pious king Dagobert to convert the
Flemings _en bloc_, and is said to have built, about 630, a
little cell by the bank of the Lys, N.E. of the modern city. In
651, =St. Bavon= entered this infant monastery, which henceforth
took his name. The =abbey= grew to be one of the most important
in Flanders, and occupied a large area on the N.E. of the town,
near the Antwerp Gate. Eginhard, the biographer and son-in-law
of Charlemagne, was abbot in the 9th century. The Counts of
Flanders had rights of hospitality at St. Bavon’s; hence it was
here, and not in the Oudeburg as usually stated, that Queen
Philippa gave birth to John of Gaunt. In 1539, however, Charles
V. that headstrong despot, angry at the continual resistance of
his native town to his arbitrary wishes, dissolved the monastery
in the high-handed fashion of the 16th century, in order to
build a citadel on the spot. As compensation for disturbance to
the injured saint, he transported the relics of St. Bavon to
what was then the parish church of St. John, which has ever
since borne the name of the local patron. Around the dismantled
ruins, the Emperor erected a great fort, afterwards known as the
Spaniards’ Castle, (_Château des Espagnols_, or Het Spanjaards
Kasteel.) This gigantic citadel occupied a vast square space,
still traceable in the shape of the modern streets; but no other
relic of it now remains. The =ruins of the Abbey= are in
themselves inconsiderable, but they are certainly picturesque
and well worth a visit from those who are spending some days in
Ghent. The hurried tourist may safely neglect them.]
The direct route from the Place d’Armes to the =Abbey= is by the Quai du
Bas Escaut, and the Rue Van Eyck. A pleasanter route, however, is by the
Rue de Brabant and the Rue Digue de Brabant to the Place d’Artevelde,
passing through the handsomest part of the modern town. (In the Place
itself stands the fine modern Romanesque Church of St. Anne, the
interior of which is sumptuously decorated in imitation of mosaic.)
Thence, follow the Quai Porte aux Vaches to the Place Van Eyck. Cross
the bridges over the Upper and Lower Schelde, and the Abbey lies
straight in front of you.
Walk past the ivy-clad outer wall of the =ruins= to the white house at
the corner of the street beyond it, where you will find the _concierge_
(notice above the door). One franc is sufficient tip for a party. The
_concierge_ conducts you over the building, which has a picturesque
cloister, partly Romanesque, but mainly 15th century. The centre of the
quadrangle is occupied by a pretty and neatly-kept garden of the old
sweet-scented peasant flowers of Flanders. The most interesting part of
the ruins, however, is the octagonal Romanesque =Baptistery= or “Chapel
of St. Macaire,” a fine piece of early vaulting, with round arches, very
Byzantine in aspect. The chapel rests on massive piers, and its
Romanesque arches contrast prettily with the transitional Gothic work of
the cloister in the neighbourhood. Within are several fragments of
Romanesque sculpture, particularly some *capitals of columns, with
grotesque and naïve representations of Adam and Eve with the Lord in the
Garden, and other similar biblical subjects. (Examine closely.) There is
likewise an interesting relief of St. Amand preaching the Gospel in
Flanders, and a man-at-arms in stone, of Artevelde’s period, removed
from the old coping of the Belfry.
We next go on to the Crypt, the tombs of the monks, the monastery
cellars, etc., where are collected many pieces of ancient sculpture,
some found in the ruins and others brought from elsewhere. The Refectory
at the end, which for some time served as the Church of St. Macaire, is
now in course of transformation into a local Museum of Monumental Art.
It contains some good old tombs, and an early fresco (of St. Louis?)
almost obliterated. But the garden and cloister are the best of the
place, and make together a very pretty picture. You can return by the
Quai and the Rue St. Georges, or by the Place St. Bavon and the
Archiepiscopal Palace. (The castellated building to the L., much
restored, near the Cathedral, known as the =Steen of Gérard le Diable=,
is the sole remaining example of the mediæval fortified houses in
Ghent.)
* * * * *
Another monastery, a visit to which will lead you through the extensive
southern portion of the city, is the (wholly modernized) Benedictine
=Abbey of St. Pierre= (I do not recommend it). To reach it, you take the
Rue Courte du Jour and the Rue Neuve St. Pierre, to the large square
known as the Plaine St. Pierre, partly obtained by demolition of the
monastery buildings. It is situated on rising ground, which may pass for
a hill in Flanders. This is, in its origin, the oldest monastery in
Ghent, having been founded, according to tradition, by St. Amand
himself, in 630, on the site of an ancient temple of Mercury. The
existing buildings, however, hardly date in any part beyond the 17th
century. =The Church of Notre-Dame de St. Pierre= was erected between
1629 and 1720, in the grandiose style of the period. It is vast, and not
unimposing. The interior has a certain cold dignity. The pictures are
mostly of the school of Rubens, many of them dealing with St. Peter and
St. Benedict; among them are good specimens. The best, by De Crayer,
shows the favourite Benedictine subject of St. Benedict recognising the
envoy of King Totila, who personated the king.
The =Plaine de St. Pierre= is used for the amusing yearly =fair=, from
Mi-Carême to Easter.
* * * * *
The =Museum of Painting= (a small and unimportant gallery) is situated
in part of an old _Augustinian monastery_, which is reached by the
Oudeburg and the Rue Ste. Marguerite. (Church by the side, full of
Augustinian symbols.) Open daily from 9 to 12, and 2 to 5, free. (I do
not advise a visit, unless you have plenty of time to spare.) The
Picture Gallery is on the second floor.
The _Rooms to the L._ contain modern Belgian and French pictures, many
of them possessing considerable merit, but not of a sort which enters
into the scheme of these Guide-books.
The _Rooms to the R._ of the staircase contain the early pictures.
=1st Room=. F. Pourbus: A votive triptych for recovery from sickness. In
the centre, Isaiah prophesying to Hezekiah his recovery. On the wings,
the Crucifixion, and the donor with his patron St. James. Outside the
wings, in grisaille, the Raising of Lazarus (in two panels), giving a
symbolical meaning to this votive offering. On the wall beside it,
several tolerable pictures of the old Flemish School: a good Ex Voto of
a donor, with the Madonna and Child, by an unknown artist; a writhing
Calvary, by Van Heemskerk; a Holy Family, by De Vos; and a quaint
triptych of St. Anne and her family, with her daughter, the Madonna, and
her grand-child, the Saviour, at her feet. Around are grouped Joseph,
Mary Cleophas, Zebedee, Alpheus, Joachim, the husband of Anna, and Mary
Salome, with her children, James and John. This queer old work, by an
unknown artist, is interesting for comparison with the great Quentin
Matsys, which you will see at Brussels. St. Joseph holds in his hand the
rod that has flowered. (See _Legends of the Madonna_.)
Beneath this triptych are three interesting portrait groups of husbands
and wives, 16th century. On the wings, a “Noli Me Tangere”—Christ and
the Magdalen in the garden.
The _2nd Room_ has Dutch and Flemish works of the 17th century, mostly
self-explanatory. The Last Judgment, by R. Coxcie, shows a late stage of
a subject which we have already seen at Bruges, now reduced to an
opportunity for the display of exaggerated anatomical knowledge. There
are also several tolerable works of the School of Rubens, many of which
are interesting mainly as showing the superiority of the Master to all
his followers. Rombouts, The Five Senses, is, however, an excellent work
of its own class. The centre of the further wall is occupied by a
worthless picture of Duchastel’s, representing the Inauguration of
Charles II. of Spain as Count of Flanders, in 1666, interesting mainly
as a view of old Ghent. The action takes place in the Marché du
Vendredi, the centre of which is occupied by the statue of Charles V.,
destroyed at the French Revolution. All round are the original
picturesque houses, with their high Flemish gable-ends. On the R. is the
Church of St. Jacques, much as at the present day. In front of the
Municipal Council Chamber a platform is erected for the inauguration.
The picture gives a good idea of the splendour of Ghent, even at the
period of the Spanish domination.
Near it, Rubens’s St. Francis receiving the Stigmata, where the
conventional elements of the crucified six-winged seraph, the rays
proceeding from the five wounds to the saint’s hands, feet, and side,
and the astonished brother, Leo, in the distance, are all preserved,
though enormously transfigured. The colour is unpleasing. This is almost
a replica of the work in the Cologne Museum. Rombouts—tolerable Holy
Family. Close by, some of Hondekoeter’s favourite birds, and Zeghers’s
flowers. Over the door, a fine De Crayer. In the centre of the room are
a series of pictures from the Gospel History, by F. Pourbus, with the
Last Supper and donor at the back of one, formerly a triptych.
The _3rd Room_ has pictures of the School of Rubens, many of them of
considerable merit, particularly De Crayer’s Coronation of St. Rosalie
and Vision of St. Augustine, in both of which he approaches within a
measureable distance of the great master. His Judgment of Solomon is
also excellent. Some other pictures in the room, however, exhibit the
theatrical tendency of the 17th century in its worst form.
* * * * *
On the way back from the Picture Gallery, you pass on your L. the Rue
Longue des Pierres, down which, a little way on the R., is a small
=Museum of Antiquities=. I do not advise a visit to this. It contains
one good brass, and some silver badges worn by ambassadors of Ghent, but
otherwise consists, for the most part, of third-rate _bric-à-brac_.
* * * * *
Most visitors to Ghent go to see the =Grand Béguinage=. This was
originally situated in a little district by itself, close to the gate of
the Rabot, where its church, uninteresting, (dedicated, like that of
Bruges, to St. Elizabeth of Hungary), still stands; but the site has
been occupied by the town for new streets. The present Grand Béguinage
lies on the road to Antwerp. It is a little town in miniature, enclosed
by wall and moat, with streets and houses all very neat and clean, but
of no archæological interest. Yet it forms a pleasant enough end for a
short drive. And you can buy lace there. The description in Baedeker is
amply sufficient.
* * * * *
Bruges is full of memories of the Burgundian Princes. At Ghent it is the
personality of =Charles V.=, the great emperor who cumulated in his own
person the sovereignties of Germany, the Low Countries, Spain and
Burgundy, that meets us afresh at every turn. He was born here in 1500,
and baptized in a font (otherwise uninteresting) which still stands in
the N. Transept of the Cathedral. Ghent was really, for the greater part
of his life, his practical capital, and he never ceased to be at heart a
Ghenter. That did not prevent the citizens from justly rebelling against
him in 1540, after the suppression of which revolt Charles is said to
have ascended the Cathedral tower, while the executioner was putting to
death the ringleaders in the rebellion, in order to choose with his
brother Ferdinand the site for the citadel he intended to erect, to
overawe the freedom-loving city. He chose the Monastery of St. Bavon as
its site, and, as we have seen, built there his colossal fortress, now
wholly demolished. The Palace in which he was born and which he
inhabited frequently during life, was known as the Cour du Prince. It
stood near the Ancien Grand Béguinage, but only its name now survives in
that of a street.
The Spaniard’s Castle was long the standing menace to freedom in the Low
Countries. Within its precincts Egmont and Hoorn were imprisoned in 1568
for several months before their execution.
During the early Middle Ages, the Oudeburg was the residence of the
Counts of Flanders in Ghent. Later on, that castellated building grew
out of keeping with the splendour of the Burgundian Princes, and its
place as a royal residence was taken by the Cour du Prince, already
mentioned, which was inhabited by Maximilian and his wife, Mary of
Burgundy, as well as by Philippe le Beau and Johanna of Spain, the
parents of Charles V. No direct memorials of the great Emperor now exist
in Ghent, his statue in the Marché du Vendredi having been destroyed;
but a modern street commemorates his name, and mementoes of him crop up
at every point in the city.
Though the Ghenters were rebellious subjects, Charles V. was proud of
his capital, and several of his very bad _bon mots_, punning on the
words _Gand_ and _gant_, have been preserved for us. As Baedeker repeats
these imperial jests, however, I need not detail them.
III
BRUSSELS
_A._ ORIGINS OF BRUSSELS
B=RUSSELS= was in a certain sense the ancient =capital= of =Brabant=,
as Bruges and Ghent were the ancient capitals of West and East Flanders.
It grew up (as early as the 8th century) on the banks of the little
river =Senne=, whose course through its midst is now masked by the
modern Inner Boulevards, built on arches above the unseen stream. The
Senne is one of the numerous rivers which flow into the Schelde, and the
original town clustered close round its banks, its centre being marked
by the Grand’ Place and the church of St. Nicolas. Unlike Bruges and
Ghent, however, Brussels has always been rather an administrative than a
commercial centre. It is true, it had considerable trade in the Middle
Ages, as its fine Hôtel-de-Ville and Guild Houses still attest; but it
seems to have sprung up round a villa of the Frankish kings, and it owed
at least as much to its later feudal lords, the Counts of Louvain,
afterwards Dukes of Brabant, and to their Burgundian successors, as to
its mercantile position.
The Senne was never a very important river for navigation, though, like
most of the Belgian waterways, it was ascended by light craft, while a
canal connected the town with the Schelde and Antwerp: but the situation
of Brussels on the =great inland trade route= between Bruges or Ghent
and Cologne gave it a certain mercantile value. Bruges, Ghent, Brussels,
Louvain, Maastricht, and Aix-la-Chapelle all formed stations on this
important route, and all owed to it a portion of their commercial
prestige.
The burgher town which was thus engaged in trade and manufactures was
Flemish in speech and feeling, and lay in the hollow by the river and
the Grand’ Place. But =a lordly suburb= began to arise at an early date
on the hill to eastward, where the Counts of Louvain built themselves a
mansion, surrounded by those of the lesser nobility. After 1380, the
Counts migrated here from too democratic Louvain. Later on, in the
fifteenth century, the Dukes of Burgundy (who united the sovereignty of
Brabant with that of Flanders) often held their court here, as the
population was less turbulent and less set upon freedom than that of
purely commercial and industrial Bruges and Ghent. Thus the distinctive
position of Brussels as the aristocratic centre and the =seat of the
court= grew fixed. Again, the Dukes of Burgundy were French in speech,
and surrounded themselves with French knights and courtiers; to suit the
sovereigns, the local nobility also acquired the habit of speaking
French, which has gradually become the language of one-half of Belgium.
But the people of the Old Town in the valley were, and are still,
largely Flemish in tongue, in customs, in sympathies, and in aspect;
while the inhabitants of the Montagne de la Cour and the court quarter
generally are French in speech, in taste, and in manners. We will trace
in the sequel the gradual growth of Brussels from its nucleus by the
river (the Lower Town), up the side of the eastern hill to the Palace
district (the Upper Town), and thence through the new Quartier Léopold
and the surrounding region to its modern extension far beyond the limits
of the mediæval ramparts.
Choose an hotel in the airy and wholesome Upper Town, as near as
possible to the =Park= or the Place Royale.
=St. Michael the Archangel= is the =patron saint= of Brussels: he will
meet you everywhere, even on the lampposts. For the patroness, St.
Gudula, see under the Cathedral.
_B._ THE HEART OF BRUSSELS
[The =nucleus of Brussels=, as of Paris, was formed by =an
island=, now no longer existing. Round this islet ran two
branches of the little =river Senne=, at present obliterated by
the Inner Boulevards. Brussels, in short, has denied its
parentage; the Senne, which is visible N. and S. of the Outer
Boulevards, being covered over by arches within the whole of the
Inner City.
The =centre of the island= is marked by the little _Place St.
Géry_, which the reader need not trouble to visit. Here, at the
end of the 6th century, St. Géry, Bishop of Cambrai and apostle
of Brabant, built a small chapel, succeeded by a church, now
demolished. The true centre of Brussels, however, may be
conveniently taken as the existing Bourse. Close by, as the town
grew, the =Grand’ Place= or market-place was surrounded by noble
mediæval and Renaissance buildings. To this centre then, the
real heart of Brussels in the Middle Ages, we first direct
ourselves.]
Go from your hotel to the =Grand’ Place=. It may be reached by either of
two convenient roads; from the _Place Royale_ by the Montagne de la Cour
and the Rue de la Madeleine, or from the _Park_ by the Montagne du Parc
(which takes various names as it descends), and the Galérie St. Hubert.
Either route brings you out at the end of the Galérie, whence a short
street to the L. will land you at once in the Grand’ Place, undoubtedly
the finest square in Europe, and the only one which now enables us to
reconstruct in imagination the other Grand’s Places of Belgium and the
Rhine country.
The most conspicuous building in the Place, with the tall tower and open
spire, is the HÔTEL-DE-VILLE, with one possible exception (Louvain) the
handsomest in Belgium. It consists of a tapering central tower, flanked
by two wings, their high-pitched roof covered with projecting windows.
The ground floor is arcaded. The first and second floors have Gothic
windows, altered into square frames in a portion of the building. The
edifice is of different dates. The original Hôtel-de-Ville consisted
only of the wing to your L., as you face it, erected in 1402. The R.
wing, shorter in façade, and architecturally somewhat different, was
added in 1443. The style of the whole, save where altered, is Middle
Gothic “Decorated”). The beautiful open =spire= should be specially
noticed. On its summit stands a colossal gilt metal figure (1454) of the
Archangel Michael, patron of the city. The _statues_ in the niches are
modern, and not quite in keeping with the character of the building.
Observe, over the main portal, St. Michael, patron saint of the town,
with St. Sebastian, St. Christopher, St. George, and St. Géry. Below are
the Cardinal Virtues. The figures above are Dukes of Brabant. Inspect
the whole _façade_ carefully. You will hardly find a nobler piece of
civic architecture in Europe. The carved wooden door has also a figure
of St. Michael. The gargoyles and the bosses near the staircase entrance
to the L. are likewise interesting.
Now, go round the corners to the L. and R., to inspect the equally fine
_façades_, facing the Rues de l’Hôtel-de-Ville and de la Tête-d’Or. The
_back_ of the building is 18th century and uninteresting. You may also
pass rapidly through the _courtyard_, which however has very little
character. But you need not trouble to inspect the _interior_, unless
you are an abandoned sight-seer.
The other important and beautiful building which faces the
Hôtel-de-Ville is the MAISON DU ROI, formerly used as the HALLE AU PAIN
or _Broodhuis_. It is of late florid Gothic, verging towards Renaissance
(1514, restored:) and is in three storeys, two of them arcaded. The
first floor has an open gallery, like the loggia of a Venetian palace,
whence ladies could view processions and ceremonies in the square below.
The building terminates in a high roof, with projecting windows, and a
handsome open tower and lantern. The whole has been recently rebuilt and
profusely gilded. Within, is a small Communal Museum (open free daily,
10 to 4). Come again often to view these two noble halls.
The third principal building (on the E. side of the Square) known as the
MAISON DES DUCS was the Public Weighing House, constructed in a debased
Renaissance style, and also profusely gilded. It bears the date 1698,
but is now unworthily occupied by sale rooms and shops.
The whole of the remaining space in this glorious square is surrounded
by magnificent =Guild Halls= of the various corporations.
Beginning on the =S. side= (that occupied by the Hôtel-de-Ville), we
have, first, L., two high-gabled houses of good 17th century domestic
architecture. Next to them, R., comes the =Hôtel des Brasseurs=, dated
1752, and lately surmounted by a bronze equestrian statue of Charles of
Lorraine. This was originally the _Guild Hall of the Brewers_. After
that, again, rises the house known as “The Swan,” belonging to the
_Corporation of Butchers_. The small building at the corner, next the
Hôtel-de-Ville, with an open _loggia_, now in course of restoration, is
known as the Maison de l’Étoile: a gilt star surmounts its gable.
The finest group of houses, however, is that to the =W. side= of the
Square (R. of the Hôtel-de-Ville), unoccupied by any one prominent
building. Beginning on the L., we have, first, the house known as “The
Fox” (=Le Renard=), dated 1699: it is surmounted by a figure of St.
Nicholas resuscitating the three boys, and is adorned with statues of
Justice and the Four Continents on its first floor. Then comes the
=Guild Hall of the Skippers=, or _Maison des Bateliers_, its gable
constructed somewhat like the poop of a ship. The symbolism here is all
marine—sailors above; then Neptune and his horses, etc. R. of this, we
see the house known as “=La Louve=,” bearing as a sign Romulus and Remus
with the wolf. This was originally the =Guild Hall of the Archers=. It
shows an inscription stating that it was restored, after being burnt
down, by the _Confraternity of St. Sebastian_ (patron of archers). Its
relief of the Saint with a bow is appropriate. The two remaining houses
are “_La Brouette_,” dated 1697, and “_Le Sac_,” bearing on its gable a
medallion with three faces.