The Church of St. James on Coudenberg (; ) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church on the historic Place Royale/Koningsplein, in the

Royal Quarter The Royal Quarter ( or ; or ) is a quarter in the historic upper town of Brussels, Belgium. It is situated between Brussels Park, the Royal Palace, the Mont des Arts/Kunstberg and the Sablon/Zavel. It is an excellent example of 18th-ce ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium. It is dedicated to Saint

James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...

, one of the

Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

. The neoclassical church was designed by the architects Gilles-Barnabé Guimard and

Louis Montoyer Louis Montoyer (1747, Mariemont, Austrian Netherlands, now Belgium – 5 June 1811, Vienna) was an 18th-century architect, principally active in Brussels and Vienna. Life He worked in Brussels as an architect and building contractor from 177 ...

and built from 1776 to 1787, replacing two neighbouring places of worship. In the 19th century, a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

and

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

, as well as a coloured

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

, were added to it. 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, historical ...

in 1959. Nowadays, it ranks as royal

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

, and since 1986, as cathedral of the

Military Ordinariate of Belgium The Military Ordinariate of Belgium (, ) is a Latin Church military ordinariate of the Catholic Church in Belgium. Immediately Exemption (Catholic canon law), exempt to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Catholics serving in the Belgian A ...

. This site is served by

Brussels-Central railway station Brussels-Central railway station (; ) is a railway and metro station in central Brussels, Belgium. It is the second busiest railway station in Belgium and one of three principal railway stations in Brussels, together with Brussels-South and ...

, as well as by the

metro Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

stations Parc/Park (on lines 1 and 5) and Trône/Troon (on lines 2 and 6).

History

Early history

The Church of St. James on Coudenberg succeeds two neighbouring places of worship, the chapel of the

Palace of Coudenberg The Palace of Coudenberg (; ) was a royal residence situated on the Coudenberg or Koudenberg (; Dutch for "Cold Hill"), a hill in what is today the Royal Quarter of Brussels, Belgium. For nearly 700 years, the Castle and then Palace of Couden ...

and the Coudenberg's abbey church, both demolished by command of

Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine Prince Charles Alexander Emanuel of Lorraine (; ; 12 December 1712 in Lunéville – 4 July 1780 in Tervuren) was a Duchy of Lorraine, Lorraine-born Habsburg monarchy, Austrian general and soldier, field marshal of the Imperial Army of the Holy ...

, Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, during his expansive urban planning projects, despite having escaped the great fire of 1731 that destroyed the palace. Koudenbergklooster

The new church was built in line with the / on its present location on the Place Royale/Koningsplein. Construction of the façade was started by the French architect Gilles-Barnabé Guimard after the designs of

Jean-Benoît-Vincent Barré Jean Benoît Vincent Barré (; Seine-Port, Seine-et-Marne, 22 January 1735 – Seine-Port, 27 January 1824) was a French architect. He was one of the most important architects of the 18th century and one of the creators of the 'Louis XVI sty ...

(1775). The first stone was solemnly laid by Charles Alexander of Lorraine on 12 February 1776, and the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

was finished in 1780. The

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-type ...

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

and

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

were built under supervision of the Belgian-Austrian architect

in 1785–86. After the building's consecration, it was used as an abbey and parish church at the same time. Moreover, it was the official church of the court of the

Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands The governor () or governor-general () of the Habsburg Netherlands was a representative appointed by the Holy Roman emperor (1504-1556), the king of Spain (1556-1598, 1621-1706), and the archduke of Austria (1716-1794), to administer the Burgundi ...

. The present building was designed to serve as the Church of the Abbey of St. James on Coudenberg and therefore has a deep extended choir with places for

choir stalls A choir, also sometimes called quire, is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir. It is in the western part of the chancel, between the nave and the sanctuary, which houses the altar and Church tab ...

for the monks.

Later development

During the French Revolution, the abbey was suspended and the church was made into a

Temple of Reason A Temple of Reason () was, during the French Revolution, a state atheist temple for a new belief system created to replace Christianity: the Cult of Reason, which was based on the ideals of reason, virtue, and liberty. This "religion" was supposed ...

, and then later into a Temple of Law. The church was returned to

control in 1802. On 21 July 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha took the oath that made him King Leopold I, the first

King of the Belgians The monarchy of Belgium is the Constitutional monarchy, constitutional and Inheritance, hereditary institution of the monarchical head of state of the Kingdom of Belgium. As a popular monarchy, the Belgian monarch uses the title king/quee ...

, on the front steps of the church. The building lost somewhat of its typical neoclassical temple-like appearance by the addition, in the 19th century, of a

and

(after the design of the architect

Tilman-François Suys Tilman-François Suys (in French) or Tieleman Frans Suys (in Dutch) (1 July 1783 – 22 July 1864) was a Belgian architect who also worked in the Netherlands. Biography Suys completed his architectural education in Paris, where he studied un ...

), as well as a coloured

by the painter Jean Portaels on the

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

. During the 20th century, maintenance and restoration work was carried out on various occasions both inside and outside: among others in 1903–04; in 1924–25 (construction of the current steps); in 1935–36 (architect A. Delpy); in 1960–1970 (architect J. Rombaux) and in 1987 (restoration of the bell tower). The church's interior and façade were

protected Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

through a

royal decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...

issued on 2 December 1959.

Description

Exterior

The church's façade and

, with its triangular

and its

peristyle In ancient Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture, a peristyle (; ) is a continuous porch formed by a row of columns surrounding the perimeter of a building or a courtyard. ''Tetrastoön'' () is a rare ...

of six Corinthian columns, evoke the appearance of a Greco-Roman temple. The primitive

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

of the pediment representing ''The Sacrifice of the Mass'' by Adrien Joseph Anrion, destroyed in 1797, was replaced in 1815 by ''The Eye of Conscience''. It was once again replaced in 1851 by the current coloured fresco by Jean Portaels depicting, on a gold background, ''The Consoling Virgin of the Afflicted''. Two colossal statues from the end of the 18th century, on a high cylindrical base, frame the portico between the doors: ''King

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

'' (by the sculptor ) and ''

Moses In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...

'' (by the sculptor ). At the top of the portico's three walls are five bas-reliefs by

Ollivier of Marseilles Ollivier is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Albert Ollivier (1915–1964), historian, writer, journalist, and politician * Arthur Ollivier (1851–1897), New Zealand cricketer and mountaineer * Charles-Prosper Ollivier d'Anger ...

, illustrating, from left to right, ''Christ driving out the merchants of the Temple'', ''Saint

John Nepomucene John of Nepomuk (or John Nepomucene) (; ; ) ( 1345 – 20 March 1393) was a saint of Bohemia (a western part of what is now the Czech Republic) who was drowned in the Vltava river at the behest of King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia. Later accounts st ...

'', ''The martyrdom of Saint

'', ''Saint

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

Patmos Patmos (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Aegean Sea. It is famous as the location where, according to Christian belief, John of Patmos received the vision found in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament, and where the book was written. ...

'' and ''Saint

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and Saint John healing a lame man''. The three blue stone statues of the pediment—''Saint James'' (in the centre) with ''Saint

Andrew Andrew is the English form of the given name, common in many countries. The word is derived from the , ''Andreas'', itself related to ''aner/andros'', "man" (as opposed to "woman"), thus meaning "manly" and, as consequence, "brave", "strong", "c ...

'' (to his right) and ''Saint John'' (to his left)—dating from 1861, are the work of the sculptor . They were formerly accompanied by two white stone statues of Saint

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; ; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430) was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Africa. His writings deeply influenced the development of Western philosop ...

and Saint

by Pierre Puyenbroeck, currently missing. The building's upper part comprises a chamfered attic with lateral slopes surmounted by a rectangular

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

and an octagonal wooden

. This bell tower, painted in two shades of grey and enhanced with gold in 1987, is capped by a copper

and a scrolled

lantern A lantern is a source of lighting, often portable. It typically features a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle, a oil lamp, wick in oil, or a thermoluminescence, thermoluminescent Gas mantle, mesh, and often a ...

bearing the cross (1849–1851). File:Brussels - 2018-04-27 - Église Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg.jpg, Main façade and

File:Brüssel Koudenbergkirche Hauptfassade Giebelfeld 201508.jpg, Tympanum of the

File:Église Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg - Clocher 1.JPG,

Bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

Interior

The interior, designed by

in neoclassical style, is plain, sober and solemn, giving the place a very spacious and light impression. Particularly striking are the built-in Corinthian columns (1785–1787). The

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

(in Roman style), in the

, is made of white marble. The

tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...

comes from the

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

Cambron Abbey (Hainaut) and was placed in the church in 1789. High above the altar, in the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

, are

s in

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

or painted blue stone depicting ''The Nativity'', ''The Last Supper'' and ''The Entombment''. To the left of the altar is a white statue representing ''The Old Testament'', and to the right ''The New Testament''. These works were all designed by the sculptor

Gilles-Lambert Godecharle Gilles-Lambert Godecharle (2 December 1750 in Brussels − 24 February 1835 in Brussels) was a Belgian sculptor, a pupil of Laurent Delvaux, "the only sculptor of international repute in Delvaux's retinue", who became one of two outstanding repr ...

. At the division between the side altar and the main altar, on the left, is another white marble statue by Adrien Joseph Anrion, representing ''Saint Peter'', and on the right is a statue by the same sculptor depicting ''Religion''. In the central

is a remarkable

nomenclature Nomenclature (, ) is a system of names or terms, or the rules for forming these terms in a particular field of arts or sciences. (The theoretical field studying nomenclature is sometimes referred to as ''onymology'' or ''taxonymy'' ). The principl ...

of the parishioners who lost their lives for the fatherland during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Opposite is the pulpit built by Jozef Van Meeuwen (1793). Close to this masterpiece is a sculpture of ''Saint

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

and Child'', sculpted in 1746 by

Laurent Delvaux Laurent Delvaux (1696, in Ghent – 24 February 1778, in Nivelles) was a Flemish sculptor. After a successful international career that brought him to London and Rome, he returned to the Austrian Netherlands where he was a sculptor to the cou ...

. Above it hang memorial plaques of

Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders (; 24 March 1837 – 17 November 1905), was the third born and second surviving son of King Leopold I of Belgium and Louise d'Orléans. He was the brother of Leopold II of Belgium and Empress Carlo ...

and his wife,

Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen Princess Marie Luise Alexandra Karoline of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (17 November 1845 – 26 November 1912), later Countess of Flanders, was a princess of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, later simply of Hohenzollern. She married Prince Philippe, Count ...

, the parents of the late King

Albert I Albert I may refer to: People Born before 1300 * Albert I, Count of Vermandois (917–987) * Albert I, Count of Namur () * Albert I of Moha *Albert I of Brandenburg (), first margrave of Brandenburg * Albert I, Margrave of Meissen (1158–1195) *Al ...

. Also in the central nave is a

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery, or sculpture in multiple colors. When looking at artworks and ...

wooden statue by Ch. Vlaminck (1888) representing ''Saint James''. At both ends of the

are two large paintings by

Jean-François Portaels Jean-François Portaels or Jan Portaels (3 April 1818 – 8 February 1895) was a Belgium, Belgian Painting, painter of genre scenes, biblical stories, landscapes, portraits and orientalism, orientalist subjects. He was also a teacher and directo ...

: ''The Crucifixion'' and ''The Cross'', while the

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

''The Stations of the Cross'', hung in the side

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s, is the work of the sculptor . The church also has a gallery

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

, dating from 1844, the work of the renowned organ-builder . Some parts of the case come from an older work of art, designed by Koenraad van Eyck in the 18th century. File:Goetghebuer - 1827 - Choix des monuments - 009 Plan Eglise Saint Jacques Bruxelles.jpg, Floor plan of the church, from Pierre-Jacques Goetghebuer's ''Choix des monuments'' (1827) File:Sint-Jacobskerk-op-Koudenberg - Middenbeuk & Koor.JPG, Interior of the

and

File:Sint-Jacobskerk-op-Koudenberg - Middenbeuk & orgel.JPG, Built-in Corinthian columns, nave and organ

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Braeken, Jo, Lydie Mondelaers a.o., ''Bouwen door de eeuwen heen in Brussel. Inventaris van het cultuurbezit in België. Architectuur. Deel Brussel 1B. Stad Brussel. Binnenstad. H-O'', Liège, Pierre Mardaga Éditeur, 1993. * * *

External links

* {{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Brussels City of Brussels Protected heritage sites in Brussels Neoclassical church buildings in Belgium 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Belgium Roman Catholic churches completed in 1787 1787 establishments in the Habsburg monarchy 1787 establishments in the Holy Roman Empire Establishments in the Austrian Netherlands Cathedrals of military ordinariates Leopold I of Belgium