St Bavo’s Cathedral is a well-conserved Gothic building in the historic city centre of Ghent, Belgium. The interior is breathtaking and peaceful. The paintings are exceptional.
History of St Bavo’s Cathedral
St Bavo’s Cathedral advanced from a tenth-century wooden chapel into a major Gothic cathedral boasting of a collection of major European art.
The site originally held a wooden chapel consecrated in 942 by Bishop Transmarus of Tournai and Noyon. By the twelfthth century, they built a Romanesque stone church. Its crypt survives today below the cathedral. Emperor Charles V was baptised in this church.
Beginning in 1274 and continuing into the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries, the Romanesque structure slowly graduated to the current Gothic style. This included the 89 m tall western tower. After a local rebellion in 1540, Emperor Charles V ordered the demolition of the St. Bavo’s Abbey and built a fortress. The abbey’s monks relocated to the Church of St. John. It was then renamed after Saint Bavo. The church became a cathedral in 1569.
The Ghent Altarpiece
The Ghent Altarpiece (also known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) is a fifteenth-century polyptych painting in St Bavo’s Cathedral. Hubert van Eyck began the work and his younger brother Jan van Eyck completed it in 1432. The medium is oil and tempera on oak panels. It is one of the earliest and most admired oil paintings. Visitors view the panels in an exclusive chapel inside the cathedral.
The upper register shows Christ the King (or God the Father) flanked by the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist. Music-making and singing angels and the figures of Adam and Eve are on the outer wings. The lower register centres on the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, where a bleeding lamb portraying Christ stands on an altar. A crowd of martyrs, saints, prophets and knights surround him.
Entering Saint Bavo’s Cathedral itself is totally free. However viewing the Ghent Altarpiece (The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) inside the visitor centre needs a paid ticket. Lam Gods Only Ticket (€12.50) gives you direct entry to the air conditioned chapel to see the restored masterwork and access to the visitor centre displays.
Key Architectural Features
Gothic Nave and Choir
Constructed primarily between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, the principal structure was built in the Brabantine Gothic style. The structure outlines high, ribbed-vaulted ceilings and large stained-glass windows. Blue Tournai stone contrasts with the warm brickwork of the side chapels.
West Tower
Rising to 89 m (292 ft), the colossal west tower was finished in 1534.
Baroque Interior and High Altar
Bishop Antonius Triest added lavish Baroque interiors in the seventeenth century. This included a dramatic Baroque high altar and elaborate furnishings.
Pulpit and Furnishings
Laurent Delvaux created the eighteenth-century Rococo pulpit from Kurara marble and oak. The large pipe organ has over 6,000 pipes.
The Interior of St Bavo’s Cathedral
Key Highlights
High Vaulted Ceilings and Nave The main body showcases ascending Gothic ribbed vaults and large pillars. Towering stained-glass windows light up the interiors in reds, blues and gold..
Baroque Furnishings The massive Baroque influence includes an ornate Rococo/Baroque wooden pulpit, grand altarpieces and elaborate tombs.
Notable Artworks Peter Paul Rubens painted The Conversion of Saint Bavo (Dutch: De bekering van de H. Bavo) in 1624 as a high altarpiece for St. Bavo’s Cathedral.
Getting There
The nearest international airport is Brussels (BRU), a drive of 66.4 km (57 min) via E40. In the city centre of Ghent, 15 car parks offer nearly 9,000 parking slots.
Gent-Sint-Pieters Railway Station is Ghent’s main train station. It is on Koningin Maria Hendrikaplein in the station district. By walk to the city centre will be a stroll of 2.5 km (34 min) via Kortrijksesteenweg/N414. Tram lines 1 and 3 start from the main station Gent-Sint-Pieters to the city centre every 10 min.
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If you have visited St Bavo’s Cathedral, please let me know in the Comment Box.
My first visit to Ghent. St Bavo:s Cathedral was a great experience. Must visit place.
Excellent description