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.
The Porte d'Ostende.