Part 7

The church is a strange mixture of restorations, additions and alterations, which have changed its character and destroyed its harmony. The general style is early Gothic, and reveals its 13th century origin. Two side-aisles were added to the three original naves, the first about the middle of the 14th century, and the second a century later. The façade nearest the hospital, flanked with round turrets, was badly mutilated. Recent attempts have been made to restore it, and at the same time to suppress certain unbecoming, extraneous masonry-work, but through lack of documents, the work was necessarily carried out in a more or less hypothetical manner. At the foot of the gigantic tower and in striking contrast with its severe nudity is the Radial Gothic _Baptistère_, an ancient protruding porch dating from the 15th century, the double arcade of which was walled up to form a chapel for the font.

In the interior one is struck, on entering, by the work of simple juxtaposition which added a side-aisle to the original one, by opening the arcades in the old wall and setting new pillars against the ancient buttresses. The whole of the interior bears marks of similar treatment. The vaulting of the naves was reconstructed in the 18th century, when the present heavy triforium was built. The small arcades which ornamented the walls were filled in, but portions have recently been uncovered and restored.

The building is 237 feet long and 165 feet wide. An 18th century rood-loft surmounted with an organ-case separates the nave from the choir. Above the organ a triumphal cross (1594) is suspended from the vaulting. The choir stalls, like the cathedral, bear the arms of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, in commemoration of the 11th. Chapter held in Notre-Dame in 1468.

The principal interest of the church lies in the works of art which it contains: _The Virgin and Child_ by Michael Angelo, and the _Tombs of the last two Sovereigns of the House of Burgundy: Charles-le-Téméraire and his daughter Marie, wife of Maximilian of Austria_, whose mausoleum at Innsbruck, is likewise a marvel.

_The Virgin and Child_ (on the altar of the Holy Sacrament, at the end of the right nave), was the gift of Jean Mouscroen, the donor of the altar, who paid a hundred ducats for it to the great sculptor in 1514. Its origin, which was long disputed, is now definitely established _(Photo, p. 100)_.

The tombs of Charles-le-Téméraire and Marie of Burgundy, originally placed in the choir where they worthily contributed to the decoration of the sanctuary, were later removed to a closed chapel on the right, formerly the old _Chanterie_--reconstituted in 1812 of the _écoutète_ Pierre Lanchals, who was tortured and beheaded in 1488 by the city burghers. His tombstone is still to be seen there, but it is the Burgundian tombs which retain the visitor's attention. Reproductions of the latter abound, and several European museums (among others, Cluny, Paris) possess plaster facsimiles. That of Marie is sixty years earlier than her father's, and is greatly superior both in style and execution. It is the work of Pierre Beckee of Brussels; the other is by Junghelinck, a native of Antwerp. The _sarcophagi_ are in black marble with recumbent life-size statues of gilded copper; on the sides are the enamelled armorial bearings of the numerous domains belonging to the House of Burgundy. Philippe-le-Beau dedicated this mausoleum to his mother, who died at the age of 25 in consequence of a fall from her horse. Later, the remains of Charles-le-Téméraire, killed at Nancy, having been taken to Bruges, Philippe II had a tomb built for them on the lines of the first one. At the time of the Revolution the tombs were taken to pieces and hidden; the parts were reassembled in 1816, thanks to a subsidy of 10,000 francs granted by Napoleon.

The church contains many 17th and 18th century pictures, several remarkable works dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, paintings, panels and polyptics, among others an _Adoration of the Shepherds_ by P. Pourbus, a triptych (first chapel on the left of the Ambulatory), and a _Transfiguration_ triptych, the central panel of which is attributed to Mistaert (first chapel on the south side-aisle). Claeyssens, Van Orley, Marc Gheeraerts, Gérard Zeghers _(Adoration of the Wise Men_ (western wall)) etc.... are likewise represented. In the Ambulatory, on the left-hand side, is the Gruuthuuse _tribune_ of carved stone and wood, which used to communicate with the neighbouring house and was built by Louis de Gruuthuuse in 1472. Several other tombs are worthy of note, among others, that of _Gérard David_, the famous painter of _The Unjust Judge_; deceased in 1523, he was buried near the tower staircase. The Sacristy contains some fine 16th century sacerdotal ornaments named after Marie of Burgundy.

The Cathedral of St. Saviour.

This church, with its massive tower, rises abruptly on the left. The cemetery which formerly surrounded it has been transformed into a public garden surrounded with railings and heavy modern pilasters. The church was built in 1183-1228 in the fine primitive Gothic style of the period, on the site of an ancient sanctuary which was destroyed by fire. Vestiges of its stone foundations are still visible in the tower. The building was frequently modified in the course of time, hence an _ensemble_, in which figure the various periods of the Gothic style: parts of the transept and the choir, 13th century; the naves, 14th century; the chevet and apsidal chapels, 15th and 16th centuries; the vaulting, rebuilt in 1732; the four pinnacled spires of the tower, completed in 1875. The principal measurements are as follows:--length: 330 feet; width: 126 feet; width at the transept: 176 feet; height: 96 feet.

Like Notre-Dame _(see p. 99)_, St. Saviour's is a typical specimen of the Flemish churches, as regards its rich furnishings, decoration and ornaments which form a veritable collection of works of art. Access is gained through two side doorways.

Polychrome decoration (1874-1875 by J. Bethune) replaced the previous distemper on the walls, pillars and ribs of the vaulting, itself believed to hide a former decoration of which no traces remain. A marble rood-loft of the 17th century decorated with a statue of the _The Creator_ by Quellin the Younger, and surmounted by an organ-case, separates the nave from the choir. The latter contains curiously carved 15th century choir-stalls, above which are the armorial bearings of the Knights of the Golden Fleece, a famous order founded by Philippe-le-Bon in 1429, and whose 13th chapter was held in the cathedral in 1478.

The numerous paintings by local artists include: _The Martyrdom of St. Hippolytus_, a polyptych (veiled), attributed to Dierick Boute, in the third chapel of the ambulatory. On the left of the transept, in the Chapelle des Cordonniers is the _Tombstone of Burgher Wautier Copman_ (1387), with its wonderful, shrouded figure--the finest tombstone that the 14th century has left us. Opposite is _another fine stone_, though inferior in style, i.e. that of Martin de Visch (1453). Various tablets of brass and bronze in relief, carved wood altar-pieces, tombs of bishops, the shrine of Charles-le-Bon, etc ..., besides the art treasures in the _Salle des Marguilliers_ and sacristy, are worthy of note.

The St. John Hospital.

The broad gateway of this building, with its low vaulting, opens out in front of Notre-Dame, from which it is separated by Rue St. Catherine. A little further on, the old entrance, now walled-up, has retained its small corner columns and double tympanum, the latter containing a rare specimen of 13th century decorative art, i.e. two high reliefs depicting: _The Death of the Virgin_ and _The Burial Scene_. Unfortunately, the entrance has been entirely restored in such a manner as to take away much of the interest which attached to the mutilated structure.

Here the Rue St. Catherine crosses the Reye, in whose waters are reflected the gloomy walls, pierced with high windows, and the stepped gables of the hospital, forming one of the most striking sights of old Bruges _(Photo above)_.

The building dates from the 13th century and contains a number of _antiques_ together with the names of the donors. Behind the remarkable old building facing the street, a new hospital was built in 1856 on the site of the cemetery; fortunately, the uninteresting appearance of these modern constructions is hidden by the old buildings.

The hospital includes a small museum, in which are kept the famous works of Hans Memling, classified under the following names: _The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine_ (large folding altar-piece), _The Adoration of the Child Jesus_ (triptych with oak panels), _Sibylle Sambetha_ (portrait of Mary Moreel, from the Hospital of St. Julien), _The Virgin with Apple_ (a diptych of the same origin), and lastly, the famous _Shrine of St. Ursula_, made of wood, with double gables, about 34 inches high, 36 inches long, and 13 inches wide, bearing on its sides, framed with archings and separated by small columns, representations of the six episodes from the Legend of St. Ursula and the eleven thousand Virgins. _(Photo p. 104.)_

The two panels of the gables represent the Saint and the Madonna respectively; 6 medallions, attributed to a pupil of Memling, decorate the roof.

The six side panels represent the episodes of the legend: 1, _St. Ursula landing at Cologne_; 2, _Passing through Basle_; 3, _Reception in Rome_ (the masterpiece of the series); 4, _Return to Basle_; 5, _The Massacre of the Virgins at Cologne_; 6, _Death of St. Ursula (Photo opposite)_.

About sixty pictures of great value complete the Hospital Museum, together with a number of relics and pieces of carving. Most of them are by unknown masters. Among others, the masterpiece by Van Oost the Elder, the _Meditating Christian_, is especially worthy of notice. The hospital contains other curiosities, such as the Chapel, the Dispensary with its ancient furniture and fittings, and the old patients' ward with its double vaulted nave.

The Béguinage Convent and the Minnewater

_Follow Rue St. Catherine (continuation of Rue Notre-Dame, beyond the Hospital), then take Rue de la Vigne (third on the right) leading to Place de la Vigne. Immediately on the right, behind the Béguinage Bridge over the Reye, at the end of Minnewater Lock, is_ the Renaissance porch (1776) of the entrance to the +Béguinage Convent+ _(photo, p. 105 and sketch below)_.

A grassy courtyard shaded with slender elms and bordered by low white cottages, neat and clean like those of a Dutch village, breathes monastic calm and peace. The tiny church, dating from the beginning of the 17th century, was built on the site of the 13th century edifice (destroyed by fire). The Béguinage was founded by Countess Jeanne of Constantinople. The northern door is the only remaining vestige of the former building. In the interior are several paintings and tombs of Nuns ("Béguines"). Adjoining the house of the Supérieure (Grande Dame), is a 15th century chapel containing a carved tabernacle, a brass tablet with a 16th century effigy, and painted vaulting.

_On the right, at the other side of the bridge is +the Minnewater+ (Photo, p. 105 and sketch opposite)._

The Minnewater was formerly a navigable basin constructed at the point where the Reye enters the city. The original wooden bridge, flanked with two towers of masonry, was replaced in 1470 by the present structure. The eastern tower no longer exists, but the round western one still stands at the head of the bridge, and commands a charming view--often reproduced pictorially--of the town, with its towers and the Béguinage Convent in the foreground.

_Follow Rue de l'Arsenal, turning left into Rue St. Catherine, at the corner of which stands the +Musée de Peinture+ (See sketch, p. 104)_.

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The Musée de Peinture.

This Museum contains a collection of early Flemish masterpieces. At the entrance are two famous paintings by Gérard David (1498): _The Judgment of Cambyses_ and _The Chastisement of the Unjust Judge_. Next come: _The Last Judgment_, by Jean Prévost (1525); _The Baptism of Christ_, a triptych by Gérard David (1507), with portraits of the donor and his family; _The Virgin and Child_, _St. George_ and _St. Donatian_, with a fine portrait of the donor, _Canon Van der Paele_, by Jean van Eyck (1436); a triptych by Memling (1484); _St. Christopher, St. Maurus and St. Giles_, with a portrait of the donor, W. Moreel, his wife, five sons and eleven daughters (St. George and John-the-Baptist are depicted on the folding leaves); _The Last Judgment_, by Van den Coornhuuse, a master-painter of Bruges; two miniatures, by G. David; two paintings, by Lancelot Blondeel (1545): _St. Luke_ and _The Legend of St. George_; also paintings by Pourbus, Clayessens, Claeys, Van Oost and Van Goyen.

_Continue along Rue St. Catherine, taking on the right, Rue Vieille-de-Gand as far as Place de la Porte de Gand._

The Porte de Gand.

This is one of the city's former seven gates, of which only four remain. The Ghent Gate, a specimen of the military architecture of the Middle-Ages, has like the St. Croix Gate _(p. 108)_, retained much of its mediæval aspect. To the right of the gate are gardens which occupy part of the ramparts.

_Take Rue de la Porte de Gand, opposite the gate, to_ the modern +Church of Mary-Magdalene+, Gothic in style, situated in front of a pretty park.

_Take Rue des Ciseaux, which skirts the church on the right, then Rue des Corroyeurs Noirs, on the left, prolonged by Rue du Cheval._

The latter crosses the Reye at the Quai Vert, which, at this point, is very pretty _(Photo above)_.

_Turn left, into Rue Haute, and return to the Grand'Place._

Second Excursion.

_Starting from the Grand'Place, by Rue de la Bride, continued beyond the Place du Bourg by Rue Haute, cross the Pont du Moulin and follow Rue Longue, at the end of which is the mediæval +Porte St. Croix+ (photo, p. 108.)_ The last two remaining windmills of Bruges are on the ramparts, to the left.

_Follow the ramparts to Rue des Carmes, at the corner of which is the +Local des Archers de St. Sebastien+_ (16th century), with its quaint, slender tower. Portraits of Members of the Guild are preserved there, among others, those of Emperor Maximilian and Charles II of England.

_Continue along Rue du Persil which ends at Quai de la Poterie; take the latter on the left, as far as the +Hospice de la Poterie+._

La Poterie.

This is both a church and a home for the aged poor. Its gabled façades were charmingly restored by Ch. Verschelde, chief initiator of the movement for the renovation of Bruges Architecture, deceased in 1881.

The polychrome decoration of the interior of the church recalls that of the Frauenkirch at Nuremberg.

The nave dates from 1358; the choir, marble rood-loft and other portions are 17th century. The tombs of Nicolas Despars (1597) and Jean de Beer (1608), and the rich Treasury in the Sacristy are interesting.

The Museum (parlour, refectory, corridors) contains ancient furniture, ivory carvings, antiquities, rich Flemish tapestries, and a fairly large collection of pictures.

The Séminaire.

The Seminary, situated immediately beyond the Poterie, is the old Abbey of the Dunes, which was reconstructed at Bruges in 1623-1628. The church, rebuilt in 1775, replaced the original edifice founded in the 12th century between Furnes and Coxyde, and destroyed by the Iconoclasts in 1556.

Since the Revolution, it has been successively a hospital, school, lycée, warehouse, and athenæum. Today it is a diocesan seminary.

The seminary contains a collection of portraits of the bishops and abbots of Bruges and Ypres, also the famous _Visitation_, by Albert Dürer, in which that great master displays to the full his exquisite talent. It is the only piece of sculpture by Dürer in the country.

_Continue along Quai de la Poterie as far as the Pont des Carmes opposite the street of the same name. Cross the bridge and take Rue de la Cour de Gand leading to the small Place Memling, in which stand_ a quaint +STATUE+ of the artist and the ancient +Hôtel des Orientaux+.

_In the continuation of Rue de la Cour de Gand, beyond Place Memling, is_ one of the two last remaining wood-panelled houses of Bruges. _+Place Jan van Eyck+ (Photo and sketch, p. 110) is next reached_.

Here stands the heavy bronze statue of +Jan van Eyck+, the gifted inventor of oil painting.

In front, is the +Academy or Poortersloge+ (14th century), formerly the House of the Burghers, then the meeting-place of the White Bear Company, whose emblem may still be seen in the corner of the building which overlooks the Rue Espagnole. It is the _Beertje van Loge_, the oldest "burgher" of Bruges, just as the _Mannekenpis_ is the oldest "burgher" of Brussels. However, the "Bear of Bruges" is the older of the two (1417).

The building was used as an Art Gallery from 1719 to 1898. Since then it has been entirely rebuilt in the original style, with a slender tower facing the Rue de l'Outre, and now contains the State Records.

_On the right of the square stands_ the ancient +Tonlieu+, with its pretty façade, large gable and porch, the whole artistically restored in 1880. The Municipal Library, comprising some 15,000 volumes, is now housed there. The collection includes a series of _incunables_ printed by Colard Mansion of Bruges (15th century), _562 MSS, a collection of epitaphs, and the +Steinmetz Collection+_ of drawings and engravings.

_Take Rue de l'Académie, facing which, on arriving at the Place du Theatre, is the +Maison des Génois+_, a souvenir of the great prosperity of the city during the Burgundian epoch.

The tympanum of the door is decorated with a _St. George and Dragon_. This ancient warehouse of the rich Italian merchants is now a café.

_In the middle of the Square is +the Theatre+ and behind it_, the gloomy +Maison des Tonneliers+.

_Tourists should here take a stroll through the old picturesque streets of this quarter, especially Rue des Aiguilles and Rue au Beurre, which lead to +the Church of St. Jacques+._

The Church of St. Jacques.

Irregular in style, this church has a square tower with a pyramidal roof.

Erected in the 13th century and enlarged in the 15th, it bears the stamp of both periods. Especially noticeable are the irreparable marks of restorations carried out in defiance of the principles and character of the original styles. The church was sacked during the religious troubles of the 16th century. The most unfortunate alterations were those carried out at the end of the 17th century. In 1820 a ceiling was added, cutting off the upper portion of the columns and pillars. Attempts have since been made to remedy these defects.

The church contains many valuable works of art, the most important of which is _The Tomb of Ferry de Gros_, treasurer of the Order of the Golden Fleece, deceased in 1544, and of his two wives, Philippine of Wiebaut and Catherine of Ailly. It is one of the very few surviving specimens of 16th century Flemish art, and remained for a long time in a walled-up chapel used as a store-room. In 1864, the chapel and tomb were completely restored. The figures are recumbent, on two superimposed stones, Ferry and his first wife being uppermost. The other stone is by far the more remarkable of the two. Attempts have been made to restore the original polychromy of the monument. The tomb and the Chapel form a very harmonious and decorative whole.

Among the paintings are: on the altar in the Chapel of Souls, a _reredos_ in three parts. It represents St. Cosmas and St. Damian, and is considered to be Lancelot Blondeel's greatest masterpiece. In the same chapel: a _triptych_, by Peter Pourbus (1556), _The Virgin of the Seven Afflictions_, and a _Resurrection_, by the same painter (1578). In the south aisle: _The Presentation of the Virgin_, one of the finest works by Van Oost the Elder (1655). On the altar, in the northern nave: The _Coronation of the Virgin_ by Albert Cornelis (1520), the only work of this master, and a fine _Triptych_, by Jan Mostaert (1474-1555).

In the chapels are copper and brass tablets. The carved wood pulpit, rood-loft and choir-stalls are in decadent Renaissance style (17th century). Behind the high-altar is a three-storied marble tabernacle, dating from 1593. The belfry contains some very fine bells, the oldest of which was cast in 1525.

_On leaving the Church of St. Jacques, the tourist may either turn left over the bridge and along Rue des Baudets, as far as the +Porte d'Ostende+ (photo below) or return to the Grand'Place, by Rue St. Jacques, on the right._

_Fourth Day._

FROM BRUGES TO POPERINGHE, NEAR YPRES.

_Lunch at Dixmude, but provide luncheon baskets, in case of need._

_Leaving the Grand'Place, =Bruges=, via the Place du Marché-aux Œufs, take Rue de la Monnaie, on the left, then Rue Nord du Sablon, and beyond the station and level-crossing, Rue du Maréchal. Go through the +Porte Maréchale+_ which, like the Ostend Gate, bears traces of its 17th century restoration _(Photo, p. 113)_.

_At the fork, 1 km. further on, take the right-hand road to =St-André=. Pass through same, then through +Varssenaere+, +Jabbeke+, +Westkerke+ and +Ghistelles+. Beyond Ghistelles (level-crossing), take the Ostend-Thourout road, on the left. Pass through =Moerdijck= (24½ kms.), and on reaching the hamlet of +Halve-Barreel+, turn to the right._

_At the first group of houses turn to the right, then to the left at the first fork. At the first house of the hamlet of +Leugenboom+ (3½ kms.), take the foot-path on the right, from which, 150 yards to the left, can be seen the =Pommern= or =Leugenboom Battery=_, at the edge of the wood. This battery comprises a 15in. long range gun, which did most of the bombarding of Dunkirk. The gun, protected by armour, is mounted on a steel bridge having a pivot in front, the rear part of the gun travelling along a circular rail-track in a concrete pit nearly 70 feet in diameter. The gun was manœuvred by means of electric motors. On either side are large shelters in reinforced concrete. In front of and below the platform there was an electric generator group. A large shelter of reinforced concrete, on the right, was probably the Post of Commandment. There is a dummy gun emplacement further on.