A Romanesque church stood here by 1072. In 1226 Henry II instructed a Brabantine Gothic collegiate church, and the choir was built from 1226 to 1276. The nave and transept followed in the 14th and 16th centuries, and the main structure was finished just before 1519. The two western towers, from 1470 to 1485, are attributed to Jan Van Ruysbroeck.
The church is 360 feet (110 m) long, 98 feet (30 m) wide and 87 feet (26.5 m) high. It is built of stone from the Gobertange quarry. The article gives the towers as 210 feet (64 m) in one place and 226 feet (69 m) in another.
Since 1962 it has been a co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels and hosts royal weddings and state funerals.
Comments