nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Kapellekerk , native_name_lang = , image = Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Kapellekerk Brussel 30-4-2017 08-20-19.JPG , imagesize = , imagealt = , caption = Chapel Church , coordinates = , country =

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, osgridref = , osgraw = , location = /
B-1000 City of Brussels,

Brussels-Capital Region Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, previous denomination = , churchmanship = , membership = , attendance = , website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = , founder = , dedication = Our Lady of the Chapel , dedicated date = , consecrated date = , cult = , relics = , events = , past bishop = , people = , status = , functional status = Active , heritage designation = Protected , designated date = 05/03/1936 , architect = , architectural type =

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Ch ...

, style = , years built = 12th–13th centuries , groundbreaking = , completed date = , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = , length = , width = , width nave = , height = , diameter = , other dimensions = , floor count = , floor area = , dome quantity = , dome height outer = , dome height inner = , dome dia outer = , dome dia inner = , tower quantity = 1 , tower height = , spire quantity = , spire height = , materials = , bells = , bells hung = , bell weight = , parish = , deanery = , archdeaconry = , episcopalarea = , archdiocese = Mechelen–Brussels , metropolis = , diocese = , province = , presbytery = , synod = , circuit = , district = , division = , subdivision = , archbishop = Jozef De Kesel
(

Primate Primates are a diverse order (biology), order of mammals. They are divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include the Tarsiiformes, tarsiers and ...

of Belgium) , bishop = , abbot = , prior = , subprior = , vicar = , exarch = , provost-rector = , provost = , viceprovost = , rector = , dean = , subdean = , archpriest = , precentor = , succentor = , chancellor = , canonchancellor = , canon = , canonpastor = , canonmissioner = , canontreasurer = , prebendary = , priestincharge = , priest = , asstpriest = , honpriest = , curate = , asstcurate = , minister = , assistant = , seniorpastor = , pastor = , chaplain = , archdeacon = , deacon = , reader = , student intern = , organistdom = , director = , organist = , organscholar = , chapterclerk = , laychapter = , warden = , verger = , businessmgr = , liturgycoord = , reledu = , rcia = , youthmin = , flowerguild = , musicgroup = , parishadmin = , serversguild = , logo = , logosize = , logolink = , logoalt = , embedded = , imagelink = , landscape = , deaconness = , elder = The Church of Our Lady of the Chapel (french: Église Notre-Dame-de-la-Chapelle, nl, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Kapellekerk), or the Chapel Church (french: link=no, Église de la Chapelle, nl, link=no, Kapellekerk), is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

church located in the Marolles/Marollen district, in the historic centre of

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Chapel. The church, in a Romanesque-

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

transitional style, was built between the 12th and 13th centuries above an earlier

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common typ ...

. Following a fire in 1405, its

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

was rebuilt in the Brabantine Gothic style and enlarged with side chapels. Its Baroque

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

bell tower dates from the 18th century. The complex was designated a

historic monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

in 1936. The church is located on the /, between the / and the /. This site is served by Brussels-Chapel railway station.

History

Early history

The presence of a

in this place is testified by a charter dated 1134 and signed by Count Godfrey I of Louvain, in which he donated a chapel erected ("outside the fortified centre of Brussels") to the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

monks of Abbey of the Holy Sepulcher of

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Esca ...

, who immediately founded a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

there. The monks' privileges were extended in 1195 by Duke Henri I of Brabant, who designated the chapel as ("chapel of the blessed Mary outside the walls of Brussels"). These mentions of ''outside the walls'' are part of the elements that have led certain historians to consider the construction of Brussels' first city walls as having preceded the generally accepted period at the beginning of the 13th century. Cantagallina veduta in Brusel

Nothing remains of the original chapel, which was probably under the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

of the current church, whose construction began around 1210 with a Romanesque

. In parallel with the development of the neighbourhood outside the walls, it was enlarged and acquired the status of

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...

(the second such church in the city), despite the opposition of the chapter of St. Gudula, very keen to keep the income granted to it as a mother church. The creation of this second parish indicates that, already at that time, a large population had settled along the old Roman road, which would become the /, beyond the ramparts and the Steenpoort. The southern part of the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building with ...

and the Chapel of the Holy Cross were built around 1215–1225 in a Romanesque-

transitional style. They were followed by the northern part of the transept and its two chapels around 1250. The choir (1250–1275), perhaps the finest achievement of 13th-century architecture in Brussels, reflects a transitional style of French influence. The building was surmounted by a tower at the crossing of the transept and the nave. The work was completed in the course of the 13th century.

Damage and restoration

Dedicated to Our Lady, the church enjoyed significant success and a hesitant destiny. In 1405, a fire destroyed the non- vaulted parts, in particular the central nave, which was covered with a flat ceiling. The nave was rebuilt in the Brabantine Gothic style and enlarged with side chapels. In 1574, the church was ransacked by

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

s who destroyed its furnishings. Reformed in 1579, it returned to Catholic worship in 1585. In 1695, part of the structure was damaged during the

bombardment of Brussels The bombardment of Brussels by troops of Louis XIV of France on August 13, 14 and 15, 1695, and the resulting fire were together the most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels. Brussels was mostly untouched by most other confli ...

by the French army as part of the

War of the Grand Alliance The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarc ...

. It was restored from 1699 to 1708. On that occasion, the spire of the west tower was replaced by the current