O.L.V.-kerk (Church of Our lady)

Back in the 9th century, a Carolingian chapel stood on the site and work to construct the present church began in 1230. The nave and the front and west façades are built from Tournai stone, a typical feature of the Scheldt Gothic style. The choir and the apse, which were constructed in brick, are in the French Gothic style and the Paradise Portal (1465), made of Balegem sandstone, is a fine example of Brabant Gothic.

The Church of Our Lady is one of the most important houses of worship in Bruges because of its many art treasures. One of its utmost masterpieces is Michelangelo's world-famous Madonna and Child. In Michelangelo's time, this refined sculpture in white Carrara marble was innovative thanks to the dynamics, the emotions and level of detail of the figures. Though originally intended for the Piccolomini altar of Siena Cathedral, it was purchased by the Bruges merchant Jan van Moeskroen, who donated it to the church in 1514.  The tombs of Mary of Burgundy and her father Charles the Bold (from the 15th and 16th centuries) are impressive. The 13th-14th-century brick tombs in the Lanchals Chapel are also unique in Flanders. In the high choir hangs a Passion triptych by Bernard van Orley and you can see the coats of arms of the Knights of the Golden Fleece who held their chapter here in 1468. An exceptional feature in this church is the centuries-old connection to the Gruuthuse Palace via the wooden oratory in the high choir.