Medieval Brick and Spires

The Belfry of Bruges rises eighty-three meters above the Market Square, its octagonal stone crown tilting slightly to the southeast. Merchants built this tower in the thirteenth century to store the city charter and to signal the wealth of…

The Sint-Salvatorskathedraal rises above the rest of Bruges with a massive, fortress-like brick tower that dwarfs the neighboring rooftops. While its heavy base dates to the twelfth century, the top section was added later to compete with…

The thick brick walls and steep gables of Saint John’s Hospital stand out among the timber-framed houses of Bruges. Established in the twelfth century, this facility cared for pilgrims, travelers, and the sick for over eight hundred years.…

The brick spire of the Church of Our Lady reaches four hundred feet into the air, making it the tallest structure in Bruges. That spire dominates the skyline, but inside, a quiet tragedy unfolded in fourteen seventy-seven. Mary of…

A small, arched stone bridge crosses the canal here, framed by weeping willows and the looming brickwork of the Church of Our Lady. While it appears to be a medieval relic, construction of the Boniface Bridge did not begin until nineteen…

The Gruuthusemuseum features a distinctive stepped gable topped with a tall, slender spire that rises above the stone facade. This mansion served as the fifteenth-century home of Lodewijk van Gruuthuse, a wealthy merchant who made his…

The Bruges City Hall displays a front facade carved with stone statues of biblical figures and counts of Flanders, arranged in rhythmic niches beneath its high, pointed roof. Since thirteen seventy-six, this building has served as the seat…

The Basilica of the Holy Blood features a dark, ornate facade crowded with golden statues that stands out sharply against the rest of the brick buildings on the Burg square. This two-level chapel houses a crystal vial encased in gold,…