The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels is the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, this enigmatic Gothic structure was built between the 11th and 15th, its construction only finally completed in 1519. A chapel dedicated to St Michael once stood on this site in the 9th century but this was replaced by a Romanesque church in the 11th century. In the 13th century Henry I, Duke of Brabant ordered two round towers to be added to the church and his successor Henry II instructed the building of a Gothic collegiate church in 1226. It took about 300 years to complete the entire church.

The interior of the church is splendid, with three smaller chapels built within it walls, the first that was built was the flamboyantly Gothic Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the Miracle in 1539 this stands to the left of the choir. To the right of the choir is the Chapel of Our Lady of Deliverance, built in 1655 in the late Gothic style with a Baroque Altar. Behind the choir is a Baroque chapel dedicated to St Mary Magdalen dated to 1675.

I’d highly recommend a visit to the Cathedral of St Michael and St. Gudula, the stained glass work and the gigantic pulpit are enough of a reasons to pop into this glorious edifice. You can also visit the basement which contains the founding stones for some of the earlier structures that stood on this site.

GPS: 50.84788, 4.36019