Facade Of Our Blessed Lady Of The Sablon Church, Brussels, Belgium Royalty-Free Stock Image

Our Blessed Lady of Sablon is a Catholic church from the 15th century located in the Sablon district in the historic centre of Brussels, which was patronized by the nobility and wealthy citizens of Brussels. It is characterized by its late Brabantine Gothic exterior and rich interior decoration including two Baroque chapels. It is generally beliieved that the construction starts around the turn of the fifteenth century The whole construction process took about a century. The choir was finished in 1435 as is testified by mural paintings of that date. The works were interrupted because of the troubles after the death of Charles the Bold in 1477 but recommenced by the end of the century. The nave finally had seven bays the last two of which should have been surmounted by a tower that was never completed. The sacrarium built behind the choir dates from 1549. At the end of the sixteenth century the church was sacked by the Calvinists and the statue of the Virgin that the local devout woman Beatrijs Soetkens had brought was destroyed. The church is best known for its two magnificent Baroque chapels which the Thurn und Taxis family had built on both sides of the choir in the second half of the seventeenth century. From outsider it is also noted by their gray-shite Gothic arches and walls