It is impossible not to visit Church of Our Lady, which has a large tower, on a trip to Bruges. The length of this tower, which can be seen from all over the city of Bruges, is 122 meters.
In addition to being the tallest structure in the city, it is known as the second tallest brick-built tower in the world. The tallest brick structure was the 130-meter-high St. Martin’s Church in Landshut, Germany.
Another point that makes The Church of Our Lady so important is the magnificent Madonna and Child statue it preserves. Known as the Madonna of Bruges, the statue depicts Mary and the baby Jesus in her arms.
This magnificent sculpture is said to be the only sculpture left by Michelangelo in Italy. The statue was bought by a merchant and taken to Bruges. Although the statue was smuggled several times by the conquerors and looters of the region, it was found and brought back each time.
The Madonna and Child statue is protected by bulletproof glass. In 1979, after the attack on Michelangelo’s Pieta in the Church of San Pietro, they chose to protect the statue in The Church of Our Lady in this way. The statue is not more than 5 meters away from the statue.
The two tomb sarcophagi you will see in the center of the church belong to Charles I, Duke of Bourgogne (Charles the Bold) and his daughter Mary. The bronze decorations on the black marble are also worth seeing. Overlooking both tombs is a triptych by Barend van Orley depicting the crucifixion of Christ.
You can visit Bruges The Church of Our Lady building on Sundays between 13:30 – 17:00 and every other day of the week between 09:30 – 17:00. You have to pay a fee to enter the church and to see the statue of the Madonna and Child.
