The Church of Our Lady in Bruges: Michelangelo's Madonna and the tombs of the Burgundian dukes

What is the Church of Our Lady?

A wooden church stood here as early as the 9th century. The Gothic church you see was begun in the early 13th century; its choir was built in brick around 1270 to 1280, and the aisles followed over the next two centuries. Musea Brugge calls it a classic example of brick Gothic.

Its tower, about 115 metres high, is one of the tallest brick towers in the world, and with the Belfry it marks the skyline of Bruges. Next to the choir, high up, you can see the small oratory of Louis of Gruuthuse, built around 1470, from which the lords of the palace next door followed Mass.

Michelangelo's Madonna and Child

The white marble Madonna and Child was carved by Michelangelo in the first years of the 16th century. It was meant for an altar in Siena, but in 1504 two Bruges merchants, the brothers Mouscron, bought it, and in 1514 it was given to the church. According to Visit Bruges it is the only work by Michelangelo that left Italy during his lifetime.

It did not stay put. French troops took it to Paris in 1794; it came back after 1815. In 1944 German soldiers removed it in a Red Cross truck, wrapped in mattresses. It was found in the Altaussee salt mine in Austria and brought home, a story told in the film The Monuments Men (2014).

The tombs of Mary of Burgundy and Charles the Bold

In the choir lie two tombs in gilt bronze on black stone:

Mary of Burgundy: the duchess died in 1482, at 25, after a fall from her horse. Her tomb was completed in 1501. Through a glass floor beneath it you can see her burial vault; her remains were identified in 1979. Richly painted graves were also found under the tombs.

Charles the Bold: her father, the last Valois Duke of Burgundy, was killed at the Battle of Nancy in 1477. His tomb monument, by Jacques Jonghelinck, was completed in 1563, more than 80 years after his death. His remains were brought from Nancy in the 16th century, but whether the bones in Bruges are really his is still debated.

Charles the Bold is the Karel de Stoute our hotel is named after: our house was built for him as a young prince. Our Charles the Bold guide tells his story.

Other works to look for

The Passion triptych by Bernard van Orley on the high altar.

The Crucifixion by Anthony van Dyck, 1626.

The Supper at Emmaus, once thought to be by Caravaggio.

Opening hours

Access and practical

How long do you need?

As a guide: 30 to 45 minutes for the church and the museum part. With the combined ticket, the Gruuthuse next door takes about another hour.

Getting there from Hotel Karel de Stoute

The church is about 10 minutes on foot from our door on Moerstraat. On our walk through historic Bruges it is the fifth stop, after the Gruuthuse Museum and before St John's Hospital across the street.