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The Count's Chapel (''Gravenkapel'' in
Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...
) is a
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
chapel in the historic city centre of
Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...
,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. It is located next to the Church of Our Lady. It was built under
Louis II, Count of Flanders Louis II (; ) (25 October 1330, Male, Belgium, Male – 30 January 1384, Lille), also known as Louis of Male, a member of the House of Dampierre, was Count of Flanders, Count of Nevers, and Count of Rethel from 1346 to 1384, and also Count o ...
as a mausoleum to the
Counts of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the ...
and a shrine to Saint Catherine. The Count's Chapel was finished around 1374.


Features

* ''Portraits of the Counts of Flanders'' :All niches are ornate and were successively decorated with portraits of each
count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...
. It is thought that Jan van Hasselt painted the first series of portraits, from the legendary Liederic de Buc to Louis II, the founder of the chapel. The effigies of the successors of Louis II were painted by
Melchior Broederlam Melchior Broederlam (born Ypres, perhaps 1350; died Ypres?, after 1409) was one of the earliest Early Netherlandish painters to whom surviving works can be confidently attributed. He worked mostly for Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and is do ...
in 1407. The authors of the next portraits, until
Emperor Charles V Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...
, are unknown. * ''Statue of Saint Catherine'' :White marble statue carved by
André Beauneveu André Beauneveu (born c. 1335 in Valenciennes, died c.1400 in Bourges) was an Early Netherlandish painting, Early Netherlandish sculptor and painter, born in the County of Hainaut (Valenciennes is today in France), who is best known for his work ...
. * ''Decorations of the niche
spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame, between the tops of two adjacent arches, or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fil ...
s.''


Further reading

* Dobbelaere L. & Caullet G., ''Guide illustré de Courtrai''


References


External links

* {{coord, 50.8289, 3.2676, type:landmark_region:BE, display=title


References

History of Kortrijk Medieval churches