Sint-Salvatorskathedraal, Gothic cathedral in Bruges, Belgium.
Sint-Salvatorskathedraal is a Gothic brick church in Bruges with a 99-metre west tower whose lower section dates from the 12th-century Romanesque church. The tower has corner turrets, arched openings and a dark pointed roof; the nave has a steep dark roof and a lower side aisle. Inside, slender clustered piers of pale cream stone support pointed arches, and a red and gold star-shaped medallion sits on the vault above the crossing.
A parish church existed here since the 9th century; after fires in 1116 and 1166, the Romanesque lower tower base of 1127–1166 survives. The Gothic church was built from 1250 to about 1350, and the choir ambulatory with five radiating chapels was added from around 1480 by Jan van den Poele. In 1834, after Belgium's independence from the Netherlands, St. Salvator became a cathedral; after the 1839 roof fire, Robert Chantrell designed the neo-Romanesque tower top, built 1843–1846, and Eugène Carpentier added the spire in 1871.
The cathedral keeps artworks rescued from St. Donatian's Cathedral, destroyed by the French at the end of the 18th century. Among them are Brussels wall carpets woven by Jasper van der Borcht in 1731, commissioned by bishop Hendrik van Susteren, and the original paintings that served as their models. The rococo and Louis XVI pulpit was built between 1777 and 1785 to a design by Hendrik Pulinx junior.
Visiting at specific times is necessary, so checking opening hours in advance is helpful. The location sits centrally in the old town and is easily reached on foot.
The west tower's lower section survives from the Romanesque church of 1127–1166, built in tuff and sandstone. During repairs in 1992–1993, three sound holes in the Scheldt Gothic style were uncovered and reopened. The neo-Romanesque upper storey dates from 1843–1846, designed by Robert Chantrell and built by Pierre Buyck.
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