The+Cathedral+of+St.+Michael+and+St.+Gudula

=Brussels=

The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula
The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula also know in Dutch as Collegiale Sint-Michiels-en Sint-Goedele-co-kathedraal or in French as Co-Cathedrale collegiale des Ss-Michel et Gudule is believed to date back to the 8th or 9th century when a chapel was built on Treurenberg hill and was originally dedicated to St. Michael. It is a Roman Catholic Church and was given cathedral status in 1962.

Like most of the churches in this area this one also has a rich history. It was originally built in the 8th to 9th century and was replaced in the 11th century the Duke of Brabant, Lambert II by a more Romanesque style church. Around 1047 he had some relics of the martyr St. Gudula from Saint-Gery Island moved to the church. The 2 saints, St. Michael and St. Gudula became the saints of the church as well as the city of Brussels. Next, Henry I ordered two round towers to be added to the church. Later in 1226, Henry II had a Gothic church that became the choir. This construction was from 1226 to 1276 took over 300 year for the entire cathedral to be completed. It was finished in 1519.

The immensity of the cathedral ended being 374 feet long, with the choir being 187 feet long ad the towers being 210 feet high. The cathedral was built of stone that was hauled over 45 kilometers. The design was from a Flemish architect Jan Van Ruysbroeck who also designed the tower of the Town Hall of Brussels. The altarpiece is made out of marble and alabaster and was made by Jean Mone in 1538.

The organ, the pulpit, the stain glassed windows, the falcons and many other works of fine art are all throughout the church and cathedral. Because of the history, art and architecture of this cathedral, it has become a national landmark.