St Bavo’s Cathedral is the principal church of the diocese of Ghent. It also functions as the seat of the chapter of canons. The bishop’s cathedra in the choir, the bishops’ mausoleums in the choir and side chapels, and the bishops’ graves in the crypt all bear witness to the building’s cathedral status. The interior radiates dignity; the plethora of liturgical objects and the collection of religious art only reinforce this sense of glory.  

As the city of Ghent began to grow steadily in the 13th century, the Church of St John the Baptist was transformed into a Gothic building. The works started with the choir. The side aisles were demolished at the end of the 13th century, and in the 14th century work began on a larger choir in the Scheldt Gothic style. It was not until towards the end of the 14th century that the choir was completed with the addition of five spacious apse chapels, in the high Gothic style. 

After completion, a Gothic tower was added for the Romanesque lower church between 1462 and 1543. Even before the tower was complete, the Romanesque lower church was destroyed to make way for the first stone of the new Gothic lower church in 1533. The large windows above are a feature of the high Gothic style. The vaulting was started in 1552 and the works were completed in 1559. This meant that by the mid-16th century, the building looked much as it does today. 

St Bavo’s Cathedral is the oldest parish church in Ghent. The most ancient parts of this place of worship date all the way back to the 10th century. At the time it was called the Church of St John the Baptist and, according to lore, it was founded in 942 by Transmarus, the Bishop of Doornik and Noyon. It was located between the bustling harbour of the trading post and the road from Bruges to Cologne. 

Prior to that, in around 630, St Amandus, or according to legend, St Bavo himself, founded St Bavo’s Abbey: a community of secular priests who later followed the Holy Rule of St Benedict. St Bavo’s Abbey, just like the nearby St Peter’s Abbey, grew to become one of the most important in Flanders. At the request of Charles V, St Bavo’s Abbey was transformed into a chapter of canons. In 1539 it was destroyed and the canons moved to the Church of St John the Baptist which was called St Bavo’s Church from then on. On 12 May 1559, when the Papal Bull ‘Super Universas’ was promulgated by Pope Paul IV, Ghent became a diocese and this church became St Bavo’s Cathedral. 

Although no physical traces of the 10th-century church remain, evidence of the 12th-century Romanesque church can still be seen. It was a three-aisled cruciform church with a lantern tower and a three-aisle choir above a similarly large crypt divided into four aisles. The crypt and two of the four original aisles remain and form the basis for the Gothic additions (side aisles and spacious radiating chapels) which were added at the end of the 13th century. The cathedral’s crypt is the largest in Flanders. 

This cathedral is a shrine to an impressive collection of religious art.

HUBERT AND JAN VAN EYCK, the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, 1432

For many centuries, St Bavo’s Cathedral has housed one of the greatest masterpieces of Flemish art: the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. After the death of Hubert van Eyck (circa 1366-1426), the retable was completed in 1432 by Jan van Eyck (circa 1390-1441) on commission from Joost Vijdt, an alderman of Ghent and the church warden of what was at the time the Church of St John the Baptist, and his wife Elisabeth Borluut. The work was intended to hang in their chapel in the ambulatory above the altar. Now it can be seen in the former baptistery. The iconography in the panel is centred on the Agnus Dei, an attribute of John the Baptist, patron saint of the parish. The central theme is human salvation through the crucifixion of Christ. The outer panels depict the people who commissioned the altarpiece. The Van Eyck brothers are the undisputed masters of the Flemish Primitive School, and the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb is a veritable masterpiece of the oil painting style they themselves developed. In 2012, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage in Brussels and the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent embarked on major restoration work to the altarpiece as well as an exhibition on the history of the Ghent Altarpiece in the Caermersklooster.

JOOS VAN WASSENHOVE, Calvary Triptych, second half of the 15th century

The cathedral’s crypt holds a very important work of art by Joos van Wassenhove, also known as Justus of Ghent. The Calvary Triptych from the second half of the 15th century hangs in the oratory. Joos van Wassenhove (circa 1430-1480) was a Flemish painter who became a member of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1460 and a freemaster of the Ghent painters’ guild in 1464. In 1470 he travelled to Italy, where he was called Justus of Ghent. He combined the Early Netherlandish School with the Italian Early Renaissance style. This work depicts the Calvary, with the crucified Christ in the foreground. Mary can be seen on the left, fainting and supported by John and Maria Magdalene, and Longinus appears on horseback on the right. The side panels show scenes leading up to the crucifixion. The left panel shows Moses throwing a log into the bitter water of Marah at God’s command, making it sweet. This is also a rare theme in the paintings of the Low Countries. The right panel again depicts Moses, this time with the bronze serpent.

PETER PAUL RUBENS, Conversion of Saint Bavo, 1624

The chapel of Saint Peter and Paul features the ‘Conversion of Saint Bavo’ by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). It dates from 1624 and was commissioned by Bishop Antonius Triest for the former high altar. The painting represents Bavo’s conversion and entry into the monastery. According to legend, Bavo, born in Liège in around 589, had led a rather licentious life. After the death of his wife, however, he repented, gave all of his possessions to the poor and became a monk and follower of Saint Amandus. On the steps at the front, we see the bailiff giving all of Bavo’s possessions to the poor as instructed by Bavo. On the left, to the side of the steps, Bavo’s daughter looks up towards the main scene on the steps: Bavo, dressed in armour, kneels and Saint Amandus, with his hand on the balustrade, welcomes the convert.

LAURENT DELVAUX, pulpit, 1741-1745

The pulpit in this cathedral was built in 1741-1745 by the Flemish sculptor Laurent Delvaux (1696-1778). The central group on the pulpit is composed of two allegorical figures, clearly inspired by the work of Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680), depicting ‘Truth Unveiled by Time’. Behind the figures, a tree trunk supports the enclosure. The staircase leading to the pulpit is flanked on each side by an angel carrying Bishop Triest’s coat of arms. Three marble reliefs decorate the enclosure: the birth of Christ, the conversion of Paul and the conversion of Saint Bavo. Two apple trees support the draped abat-voix. A pair of cherubs twisting around a giant cross neatly finish off the piece.

HIËRONYMUS DUQUESNOY DE JONGE, monument of Bishop Antonius Triest, 1652-1654

The choir houses the monument of Bishop Antonius Triest (1621-1657), the seventh bishop of Ghent, who certainly left his mark on the rich Baroque interior of the cathedral. One of four tomb monuments to Ghent bishops, it was made by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy the Younger (1602-1654).

KAREL VAN POUCKE, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, 1776-1782

On opposite sides of the rood screen are statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. Both statues were sculpted in 1776-1782 by Karel Van Poucke (1740-1809). Saint Peter is shown in the classic contrapposto position with two keys crossed in his hands. Saint Paul is depicted throwing the adder that bit his hand into the fire. Although this is based on a Bible story, it is a very unusual way of representing the saint.

Livinus Gospels, 9th century

The oldest item is the ‘Livinus Gospels’, a book which dates from the 9th century and belonged to St Bavo’s Abbey. The crypt was used for everyday worship of the saints and worship of the Holy Sepulchre, which can be seen from the iconography in the frescos. The frescos (1480-1540) were not all painted at the same time or by the same hands, which explains the differences in technique and quality. The 51 blazons or escutcheons of the Knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece on the south portal contribute to the majestic history of the cathedral. They commemorate the 23rd and last Ghent chapter in 1559. The arms of the first Ghent chapter in 1445 can be seen in the chevet.