Church of Our Lady of the Sablon

Overview

The Church of Our Lady of the Sablon (Église Notre-Dame du Sablon) is a 15th-century Brabantine Gothic masterpiece, noted for its remarkably luminous stained-glass windows and the absence of exterior buttresses.

Highlights

• Stained Glass: Eleven massive windows (15 metres high) flood the interior with coloured light — spectacular when illuminated at night.
• Thurn and Taxis Chapel: The burial chapel of the famous postal dynasty.
• Statue of Our Lady: A miraculous 14th-century statue said to have arrived by boat from Antwerp.

History

Built 1400–1550 by the Crossbowmen's Guild. The church was a stop on the annual Ommegang procession through Brussels.

Visitor Tips

• Night Illumination: The stained glass is spectacularly lit from inside at night — view from the square.
• Free Entry: Always free.
• Duration: 15–25 minutes.