Church Saint-Nicolas — Rue au Berre. This church was founded at the same time as the city itself, or at least it is mentioned in documents dating from the second half of the 12C as one of the chapel’s dependant on the Eglise des Saints-Michel-et-Gudule. The fact that is dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of boatmen, made it a market church, which is hardly surprising given the proximity of Grand-Place. The church was almost in destroyed during the bombardment of 1695. The tower, which collapsed n 1714, used to stand in front of the building. A replica model in the Musée communal gives an excellent idea of what the church used to be like, although the project to rebuild the church according to this model never came to fruition. In 1956, it was given a new west front in the Gothic style.

 Church view from the outside

The Christian Catholic community of this church warmly welcomes you. Faithful to their history and respectful of religious liberty, the people of Brussels have preserved this church which was built at the same time as the early town some 1000 years ago.

View from the Church inside as you enter

 

Of the original chapel which the merchants of the time dedicatee to their favorite patron, Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myre, Byzantium (Turkey) in the 4th century, nothing visible remains. But there are some remnants of the Romanesque church on the right-hand side of the 12th century porch and in the square sections of the first two columns of the central nave (early 13th century).

 

* The choir dates from 1381;

 

* ‘The Lady Chapel was added in 1486;

 

 

* Heavy damage suffered during the religious disturbances of 1579; * Bombardment of the town in 1695;

* Collapse of the tower in 1714;

* Transfer of the reliquary of the martyrs of Gorcum in 1868;

* The large stained-glass window on the west side, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary by Guy Chabrol, dates from the last restoration in 1956.