Sacrament=, erected in 1535-39, in honour of the Miraculous (Stolen)
Hosts, which are still preserved here, and which are carried in
procession annually on the Sunday following the 15th of July. The
windows in this chapel, each of which bears its date above, were placed
in it immediately after its erection, and are the best in the Cathedral.
They exhibit the style of the Transitional Renaissance. Each window
shows, above, the story of the Stolen Hosts, with, below, the various
donors and their patrons. _First window_ as you enter: Above, the
Bribery: below, King John III. of Portugal with his patron, St.
John-Baptist; and Queen Catherine, his wife (sister of Charles V.), with
her patron, St. Catherine, holding her sword of martyrdom and trampling
on the tyrant Maximin: (all by Michael Coxcie). _Second window_: above,
the Hosts insulted in the Synagogue: below, Louis of Hungary, with his
patron, St. Louis; and Marie, his wife (sister of Charles V.), with her
patroness, Our Lady (Coxcie). _Third window_: above, same subject as in
the 3rd of the S. Aisle—perhaps the attack on the Jews: below, Francis
I. of France, with his patron, St. Francis, receiving the Stigmata;
behind him, Eleonora, his wife (sister of Charles V.), with her
patroness, St. Helena (Bernard van Orley). _Fourth window_: above,
Denunciation of the Jews: below, Ferdinand, brother of Charles V., with
his patron, St. Ferdinand; and his wife, Anne, with her patron, St. Anna
(Bernard van Orley). The _end window_ represents the Adoration of the
Holy Sacrament, and of the Lamb that was slain, in a composition
suggested by the Van Eyck at Ghent. Below, to the L. are an Emperor and
Empress (Charles V. and Isabella), a king and queen, and other
representatives of the world secular: to the R. are a pope, a cardinal,
bishops, prophets, and other representatives of the church or the world
ecclesiastical.
* * * * *
Now, proceed to the =opposite chapel=, by the S. Transept, that of =Our
Lady of Deliverance= (Notre-Dame de Délivrance). This chapel was erected
in 1649-53, to balance that in the N. Transept. Its windows, made after
designs by Van Thulden, in 1656, represent the continued decadence of
the art of glass-painting. The subjects are taken from the History of
Our Lady, above, with the donors and their patrons, princes of the House
of Austria, below. Unlike the last, the subjects here begin at the
_inner end_, near the altar. _First window_: the Presentation of Our
Lady in the Temple. She mounts the steps to the High Priest: below are
St. Joachim and St. Anna. _Second window_: The Marriage of the Virgin.
_Third window_: The Annunciation, with the Angel Gabriel and the Dove
descending in a glory. _Fourth window_: The Visitation of Mary to
Elizabeth: the figure of Mary, in its odd hat, taken from the Rubens in
Antwerp Cathedral. The Austrian Princes and Princesses below, in the
insipid taste of the 17th century, have commemorated their own names so
legibly on the bases that I need not enumerate them.
* * * * *
Now, return to the N. Transept, to make the tour of the =Ambulatory=. At
the entrance to the Apse, L., is a colossal statue of the patroness,
Ste. Gudule, with the Devil under her feet. The stained glass of the
Apse is good modern. Notice the fine pillars to your right. The
hexagonal rococo =Chapel of St. Mary Magdalen=, at the end of the Apse,
has modern windows of, L. and R., the two patrons, St. Michael and Ste.
Gudule, the latter with the lantern and Devil: and, Centre, the Trinity.
Exit from the Apse: L., gilded statue of the other patron, St. Michael,
to balance the Ste. Gudule. Beside it, curious wooden Easter Sepulchre,
with Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, the Mater Dolorosa, and the Maries.
Above it, the Risen Christ, with Roman soldiers on the pediment. Fine
view from near this point of the Choir and Transepts.
* * * * *
The high =Choir= has in its Apse stained-glass windows (use your
opera-glass), representing Our Lady, and the patron saints, with various
kings and queens in adoration (middle of the 16th century). The
portraits are (1) Maximilian and Mary of Burgundy: (2) Philippe le Beau,
their son, with his wife, Johanna the Mad, of Castille: (3) Charles V.
and his brother Ferdinand, sons of Philippe: (4) Philip II. of Spain,
son of Charles V., with his second wife. The architecture here is Early
Gothic and interesting.
_E_. THE UPPER TOWN
From the Grand’ Place, two main lines of streets lead towards the =Upper
Town=. The first, which we have already followed, runs straight to the
Cathedral; the second, known as the Rue de la Madeleine and then as the
=Montagne de la Cour=, mounts the hill to the =Place Royale=.
The city of the merchants lay about the Hôtel-de-Ville, the Senne, and
the old navigation. The town and court of the =Counts of Louvain= and
=Dukes of Brabant= clustered about the Castle on the high ground
overlooking the Lower City. On this hill, the =Caudenberg=, the Counts
of Louvain built their first palace, close to what is now the Place
Royale. Their castle was burnt down in 1731, but the neighbourhood has
ever since been the seat of the Belgian court for the time
being—Burgundian, Austrian, Dutch, or Coburger. All this quarter,
however, has been so greatly altered by modern “improvements” that
scarcely a relic of antiquity is now left in it, with the exception of a
few mediæval churches.
In spite of the competition of the Central or Inner Boulevards, the
=Montagne de la Cour=, which mounts directly from the Grand’ Place to
the Cour (the residence of the Dukes or afterwards of the Emperors and
the Austrian Viceroys), still remains the principal street for shopping
in Brussels. It takes one straight into the =Place Royale=, one of the
finest modern squares in Europe, occupying in part the site of the old
Castle. Its centre is filled by the famous *statue of =Godfrey de
Bouillon= by Simonis: the great Crusader is represented on horseback,
waving his banner, and crying his celebrated cry of “Dieu le veut!” The
unimpressive =Church=, with Corinthian pillars, a crude fresco in the
pediment, and a green cupola, which faces you as you enter, is =St.
Jacques sur Caudenberg=. To R. and L. you open up vistas of the =Rue de
la Régence= and the =Rue Royale=. The former is closed by the huge mass
of the new =Palais de Justice=. The latter ends in the great domed
church of =Ste. Marie de Schaerbeck=.
In order to gain a proper conception of the Upper Town, one of the
best-arranged in Europe, you must take the Place Royale and the Ancienne
Cour (just below it) as your starting-point. The Place, the Park, and
the streets about them were all laid out, under Austrian rule, at the
end of the 18th century (1774) by the architect Guimard, who thus made
Brussels into the handsome town we now see it. Turning to the R. from
the Place Royale, towards the Rue de la Régence, you come first to the
gateway of a courtyard, guarded by sentinels. Disregarding these, push
past them into the court as if the place belonged to you. The quadrangle
you have entered is the site of the old Palace of the Dukes of Brabant,
for which the present building, known as the =Ancienne Cour=, was
substituted by the Austrian Stadtholders in 1731 after the great fire.
The first building to your L. is occupied by the Royal Museum and
Library. The portion of the building at the end of the court, in a
semi-circular recess, contains the MODERN PICTURE GALLERY (open daily
from 10 to 4, free). In this gallery are collected the chief works of
the modern Belgian School of Painters, which the tourist should not omit
to study, but a full description of which lies wholly outside the scope
of these Guide Books.
[This =modern Belgian School= was started in Antwerp, after the
Revolution of 1830. It answered at first to the romantic
movement in France (headed by Delaroche, Géricault, and others:)
but the Belgian painters dealt mainly in historical pictures
drawn from the struggles for liberty in their own country. The
most distinguished of these “romantic” Belgian artists were
Louis Gallait and Edouard de Bièfve, whose chief national works
are to be seen in this gallery. Though they belong to a type
which now strikes us as mannered and artificial, not to say
insipid, they may help to impress historical facts on the
spectator’s memory. A very different side of the national
movement will meet us at Antwerp. The later Belgian School has
been gradually swamped by Parisian tendencies.]
Returning to the Place Royale, and continuing along the =Rue de la
Régence=, the first building on the L. closed with a grille, is the
Palace of the Comté de Flandre. Nearly opposite it (with four granite
pillars) is the Palais des Beaux-Arts, containing the Ancient Pictures
(already noticed). Further on to the R. we arrive at the church of
=Notre-Dame-des-Victoires= (“Église du Sablon”), to be described in
detail hereafter. The pretty and coquettish little garden on the L. is
the =Square= or =Place du Petit Sablon=. It contains a modern monument
to Counts Egmont and Hoorn, the martyrs of Belgian freedom, by Fraikin,
and is worth a visit. The little statuettes on the parapet of the square
represent artisans of the old Guilds of Brussels. The building at the
back of the Place is the Palace of the Duke d’Arenberg: its central part
was Count Egmont’s mansion (erected 1548). Further on, to the L., come
the handsome building of the Conservatoire de Musique and then the
Jewish Synagogue. The end of the street is blocked by the gigantic and
massive _façade_ of the new =Palais de Justice=, one of the hugest
buildings of our period, imposing by its mere colossal size and its
almost Egyptian solidity, but not architecturally pleasing. The interior
need not trouble you.
* * * * *
=Northward= from the Place Royale, again, stretches the =Rue Royale=,
along which, as we walk, we have ever before us the immense gilt dome of
=Ste. Marie de Schaerbeck=. This fine street was admirably laid out in
1774 by the architect Guimard, who was the founder of the modern plan of
Brussels. It is a fine promenade, along the very edge of the hill,
beautifully varied, and affording several attractive glimpses over the
earlier town by means of breaks in the line of houses, left on purpose
by Guimard, some of which have, however, been unfortunately built up.
Starting from the Place Royale, we have first, on our R., the Hôtel
Bellevue; beyond which, round the corner, facing the Park, extends the
unprepossessing white _façade_ of the =King’s Palace= (18th century,
rebuilt). Then, again on the R., we arrive at the pretty little =Park=,
laid out by Guimard in 1774, on the site of the old garden of the Dukes
of Brabant. This is a pleasant lounging-place, animated in the
afternoon, when the band plays. It contains ponds, sculpture,
nursemaids, children, and one of the principal theatres.
Continuing still northward, we pass the Statue of Belliard, in the first
break, and then the Montagne du Parc, L., leading direct to the Lower
Town. At the end of the Park, the Rue de la Loi runs R., eastward,
towards the Exhibition Buildings. The great block of public offices in
this street, facing the Park, includes the Chamber of Representatives
(=Palais de la Nation=) and the principal Ministries. Beyond these we
get, on the L., a glimpse of the Cathedral, and on the R. a number of
radiating streets which open out towards the fashionable =Quartier
Léopold=. Then, on the L., we arrive at the =Place du Congrès= with its
Doric =column=, commemorating the Congress which ratified the
Independence in 1831. It can be ascended (193 steps, spiral) for the
sake of its admirable =*view=, the best general outlook to be obtained
over Brussels. (A few sous should be given to the guardian.) The
prospect from the summit (morning light best) will enable you to
identify every principal building in the city (good map by Kiessling,
72, Montagne de la Cour).
Continuing our route, the street to the R. leads to the little Place de
la Liberté. Beyond this, the Rue Royale goes on to the Outer Boulevards,
and finally ends at =Ste. Marie de Schaerbeck=, a gigantic modern
Byzantine church, more splendid than beautiful, but a good termination
for an afternoon ramble.
* * * * *
The =Outer Boulevards= of Brussels, which ring round the original 14th
century city, have now been converted into magnificent =promenades=,
planted with trees, and supplied with special lanes for riders. These
Boulevards, perhaps the handsomest in the world, replace the =ancient
walls=, erected in 1357-1379, when the town had already reached such
considerable limits. Most of what is interesting or important in
Brussels is still to be found within the irregular pentagonal ring of
the Boulevards. A pleasant way of seeing the whole round is to take the
=electric tram=, from the Gare du Nord, by the =Upper Boulevards=, to
the Gare du Midi. You first mount the steep hill, with the Botanical
Gardens on your L., backed by the extensive hot-houses. The line then
crosses the Rue Royale, looking L. towards Ste. Marie de Schaerbeck, and
R. towards the Place Royale. As you turn the corner, you have on your L.
a small triangular garden, and on your R. the circular Place des
Barricades, with a statue of the great anatomist Vesalius, physician to
Charles V., and an indirect victim of the Inquisition. The rail then
bends round the Boulevard du Régent, with glimpses (to the R.) of the
Park, and (to the L.) of the Squares in the Quartier Léopold. You next
pass, R., the =Palais des Académies=, in its neatly kept garden, beyond
which you arrive at the private gardens of the Royal Palace and the
Place du Trône. Hence you continue to the Place de Namur and the
Fontaine de Brouckere, and continue on to the Place Louise, at which
point the open =Avenue Louise= leads direct to the pleasant =Bois de la
Cambre=. The Boulevard de Waterloo carries you on to the =Porte de Hal=,
the only one of the old gateways still standing. This is a massive
fortress of irregular shape, built in 1381, and it was used by the
Spanish authorities in the time of Alva as the Bastille of Brussels. The
=interior= (open free, daily) contains a fine winding staircase and a
small =collection of arms= and armour, with a little Ethnographical
Museum, which is worth ten minutes’ visit in passing. Hence, the
Boulevard du Midi conducts you straight to the Gare du Midi, from which
point you can return, on foot or by tram, through the Inner Boulevards
or diagonally through the old town, to your hôtel.
* * * * *
The remainder of the =Outer Boulevards=, leading from the Gare du Midi
to the Gare du Nord by the _western_ half of the town, is commonly known
as the =Lower Boulevards=, (Note the distinction of Upper, Lower, and
Inner.) It passes through a comparatively poor quarter, and is much less
interesting than the other half. The only objects of note on its circuit
are the slaughter houses and the basins of the canal. Nevertheless, a
complete tour of the Boulevards, Upper, Lower, and Inner, will serve to
give you a better general conception of Brussels within the old walls
than you can otherwise obtain.
* * * * *
I cannot pretend in this Guide to point out all the objects of interest
in Modern Brussels, within this great ring. Speaking generally, the
reader will find pleasant walks for spare moments in the quarter between
the Rue Royale or the Rue de la Régence and the Upper Boulevards. This
district is high, healthy, and airy, and is chiefly given over to
official buildings. On the other hand, the quarter between these two
streets and the Inner Boulevards, especially southward about the Place
St. Jean and the Rue de l’Étuve, leads through some interesting portions
of 17th century and 18th century Brussels, with occasional good domestic
architecture. The district lying W. of the Inner Boulevards is of little
interest, save in its central portion already indicated. It is the
quarter of docks, entrepôts, and the more squalid side of wholesale
business.
* * * * *
The immense area of Brussels =outside the Outer Boulevards= I cannot
pretend to deal with. Pleasant walks may be taken at the E. end of the
town about the Chaussée de Louvain, the Square Marie-Louise, the
Exhibition Grounds, the Parc Léopold (near which is the too famous Musée
Wiertz), and the elevated land in the eastern quarter generally. The
=Bois de la Cambre=, the true park of Brussels, makes a delightful place
to walk or drive in the afternoon, especially on Sundays. It somewhat
resembles the Bois de Boulogne, but is wilder and prettier. Perhaps the
most satisfactory way of visiting it is to take the tram to the gate of
the wood, and then walk through it.
* * * * *
There are =three other churches=, beside the Cathedral, in the
neighbourhood of the Place Royale, which you may go to see, _if_ you
have plenty of time left, but which you need not otherwise trouble
about. The three can be easily combined in a single short round.
Go down the Montagne du Parc, and take the first turning to the L., Rue
des Douze Apôtres, which will bring you direct to the little =Chapelle
de l’Expiation=, erected in 1436, on the site of the synagogue where the
Stolen Hosts were profaned, and in expiation of the supposed crime. The
exterior of the building has been modernized, and indeed the whole is of
little interest, save in connection with the Cathedral and the Stolen
Hosts; but a glance inside is not undesirable. The interior, flamboyant
Gothic, is thoroughly well decorated throughout, in modern polychrome,
with scenes from the Gospel History. The Apse has good modern
stained-glass windows, and frescoes of angels holding the instruments of
the Passion. It is separated from the Nave by a high Rood-Loft, without
a screen. Modern taste has here almost entirely ignored the painful and
malicious story of the Stolen Wafers.
Now, continue down the Rue des Sols as far as the Rue de l’Impératrice
(where a slight _détour_ to the R. takes you in front of the Université
Libre, a large and somewhat imposing, but uninteresting building).
Continue rather to the L. down the Rue de l’Impératrice, crossing the
Montagne de la Cour, into the Rue de l’Empereur and the Rue d’Or, till
you arrive at the Place de la Chapelle, containing the church of
=Notre-Dame de la Chapelle=—after the Cathedral, the finest mediæval
church of Brussels. The =exterior= has lately (alas!) been quite too
much restored. It shows a fine Nave and Aisles of the 15th century, and
a much lower and very beautiful Choir of the 13th century, with some
Romanesque details of an earlier building (10th century?) Walk once
round the church, to observe the exterior architecture. The West Front
is massive rather than beautiful. The sculpture over the door (the
Trinity with angels, and Our Lady) is modern. Over the southern portal
is a modern relief, in a Romanesque tympanum, representing the
Coronation of Our Lady by God the Father and the Son. The Romanesque and
transitional work of the beautiful low Choir and Apse has unfortunately
been over-restored.
The =interior=, with its fine Nave and Aisles, is impressive, especially
as you look from the centre down towards the West end. The round pillars
of the Nave are handsome, and have the usual figures of the Twelve
Apostles. The _pulpit_ is one of the familiar 17th century
monstrosities, with palms, and Elijah in the Wilderness. The interior of
the pretty little Apse has been so completely modernized as to leave it
little interest. There are a few good pictures of the School of Rubens
(De Crayer, Van Thulden, etc.).
On emerging from the church, follow the tramway line up the hill to the
market-place of the =Grand Sablon=. Good views in every direction as you
enter the Place. The square is animated on Fridays and Sundays, when
markets are held here. Pass through the market-place, which contains an
absurd 18th century monument, erected by a Marquis of Ailesbury of the
period, in gratitude for the hospitality he had received from the
citizens of Brussels, and continue on to the Rue de la Régence, passing
on your R. the beautiful Apse of the church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires,
now unhappily in course of restoration. The entrance is in the Rue de la
Régence, and the church is _not_ oriented.
=Notre-Dame-des-Victoires=, or Notre-Dame du Sablon, was founded in 1304
by the Guild of Crossbowmen; but the existing late-Gothic building is
almost entirely of the 15th and 16th centuries. It has been
over-restored in parts, and the beautiful crumbling exterior of the Apse
is now threatened with disfigurement.
The =interior= is pleasing. Over the Main Entrance, within, is a curious
_ex voto_ of a ship, in commemoration of the arrival of a sacred image,
said to have floated miraculously by sea.
The _first chapel_ to your L. as you enter has a *tomb of Count Flaminio
Gamier, secretary to the Duke of Parma, partly restored, but with fine
original alabaster reliefs of the early Renaissance, representing the
History of the Virgin. The series begins below: (1) Meeting of Joachim
and Anna at the Golden Gate; (2) The Birth of the Virgin; (3) The
Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple. Then, above: (4) Annunciation;
note the relative positions of the angel and Our Lady, the lily, the
_prie-dieu_, and the loggia in the background; (5) the Visitation, with
the usual arch; and (6) the Presentation of Christ in the Temple.
The =Apse= has restored figures of saints (named) in imitation of those
which were discovered in ruined fresco during the restoration. They are
a good typical collection of the saints most venerated in the Low
Countries in the Middle Ages.
The =Nave= has the usual figures of Apostles, named, and a small open
Triforium just below the Clerestory. The Pulpit has on its face a
medallion of Our Lady; R. and L., Moses and St. Augustine. Below, the
four beasts of the Evangelists.
You need not trouble about any other special building in Brussels; but
you may occupy yourself pleasantly with many walks through all parts of
the city.
* * * * *
You are now in a position to understand the =growth and spread of
Brussels=. From the very beginning, the merchant town occupied the
_valley_, while the capital of the Counts, Dukes, or Sovereigns spread
over the _hill_, in the neighbourhood of what are still significantly
called the Montagne de la Cour and the Place Royale. To this day the two
contrasted parts of the city are broadly distinct. The valley speaks
Flemish; the mountain, French. In the valley stand all the municipal and
mercantile buildings—the Hôtel-de-Ville, the Bourse, the Post-Office,
the markets, and the principal places of wholesale business. On the hill
stand the Royal Palace, the Government Offices, the Legislative Body,
the Ministries, the Palais de Justice, and the whole of the National
Museums and collections. From this point of view again, in our own day,
the valley is _municipal_, and the hill _national_. The contrasted
aspects of the Inner Boulevards and the Rue de la Régence well mark the
difference. In the valley, you will find, once more, the hotels of
commerce and of the passing traveller; on the hill, those frequented by
ambassadors and the wealthier class of foreign tourists. Near the Place
Royale were situated the houses of the old Brabant nobility, the Egmonts
and the Cuylenburgs; as at the present day are situated those of the
Arenbergs and the De Chimays.