Sint-Gilliskerk (St Giles' Church)
This church – the only one in the city centre with a tower clock – was founded in around 1240 as an auxiliary church of the parish of Our Lady and was enlarged into a pseudo-hall church in the 15th century. To this day, that form has changed little. Hall churches are typical of the brick Gothic of the coastal region.
From the mid-17th century onwards, the interior was altered in line with Baroque tastes. At the end of the 19th century, the building underwent a thorough neo-Gothic restoration.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, several important artists, including Hans Memling, Jan Provoost, Lanceloot Blondeel, Pieter Pourbus and the Claeissens family, found their final resting place in and around the church. Unfortunately, no remnants of their graves can now be found.
The house of worship houses a number of works by some of Bruges' great artists, including the “Polyptych of Hemelsdale” by Pieter Pourbus and “The Arrival of Frans de Mulder at Dunkirk” by Jan Garemijn, works by Jacob van Oost, etc.
