The construction of St Michael’s Church is a long and unusual story.A chapel was built on the spot by St Bavo’s Abbey back in the 11th century.
The construction of today’s church probably began in the Early Gothic period. After many interruptions, the work was finally completed in 1672, but the tower remained unfinished.
Although it took more than 200 years to build the church, it displays a remarkable unity of form and style. That is why St Michael’s Church is considered a textbook example of the perpetuation of Gothic style in the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Despite being built over a period of more than 200 years, this church still demonstrates unity in its consistent Gothic form and style.
Even the interior emanates exceptional homogeneity. All of this contributes to making St Michael’s Church a serene place of worship and a haven of peace in the busy city centre of Ghent.
The first traces of a place of worship go back to the 11th century. A chapel devoted to the Archangel Michael on the bank of the River Lys, right next to the trading hub of the port, grew to become an independent parish. In the mid-15th century, the parish started to build a new, more spacious and imposing church. In 1566, the church was hit hard by the iconoclasm. The interior and choir were destroyed.
The restoration in the mid-17th century, in keeping with the Gothic style, bestowed it with a more spacious, Late Gothic choir with apse chapels. At the end of the 17th century, the construction work was halted...and the tower is still awaiting completion today!
During the French Revolution, religious worship was prohibited. The interior of St Michael’s Church was destroyed and works of art were lost.
On 12 April 1802, the church was re-established and a range of restoration work was undertaken which carried on until late into the 20th century, rightly returning this magnificent specimen to the realms of our Gothic heritage.
And after this feast for the eyes comes a feast for the ears: the acoustics inside St Michael’s Church are perfect for flawlessly transmitting the sound of both small vocal ensembles and symphonic orchestras right to the very farthest nooks and crannies of the church. This is why the church often plays host to renowned orchestras and soloists during the Festival of Flanders.
During the Ghent Festivities, this church offers an interesting programme of musical performances, photography exhibitions, organ concerts and watercolour workshops in partnership with the City of Ghent, the Province of East Flanders and the cultural association Culturele Vereniging Pastoor Du Four.
In the church’s ambulatory you can see a statue by Rombaut Pauwels inspired by Michelangelo: the Madonna and Child. You can also discover work by Otto van Veen and Anthony Van Dyck, both masters associated with Peter Paul Rubens.
Niet alleen de architectuur maar ook het interieur getuigt van een bijzondere homogeniteit. De Sint-Michielskerk is ook een groot aantal kunstwerken van bijzondere kwaliteit rijk.The ‘Golgotha’ by Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) was painted for this church in 1630. The Passion of Christ is placed in a restricted space in this painting, lending greater expressive power to the distraught gestures and grief-stricken faces. Rather than emphasising the narrative, this painting focuses on meditation and contemplation, religious sobriety and dignity.
The warm and harmonious colour palette bears witness to the Venetian influences Van Dyck was exposed to during his stay in Italy. The work dates from the painter’s Second Antwerp Period (1628-1641), a time when he, and therefore also his studio, received many orders and worked very hard to meet the needs of the Counter-Reformation.
His religious pieces hang in the principal churches of Flanders: in Antwerp, Mechelen, Ghent, Dendermonde and Kortrijk.
The work in St Michael’s Church was restored in 1992 by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage and is featured on the List of Flemish Masterpieces.
Jan Boeckhorst (1605-1668), a student of Rubens and Jordaens, also contributed to the splendour of this church. ‘David’s Remorse’ depicts the Old Testament king after the prophet Nathan had condemned him for committing adultery with Bathsheba.
This painting is also featured on the List of Flemish Masterpieces, making St Michael’s Church a must-see for art lovers.
In the chapel of Saint Hubert and the third chapel of the right side aisle there are another two pieces by this Baroque painter: ‘The Glorification of the Holy Eucharist’ and the ‘Conversion of Saint Hubert’. There is also a work by Jan Boeckhorst on the main altar of St James’ Church in Ghent.
Another art treasure can be found in the Chapel of Saint Francis of Paola. Visitors to the church can feast their eyes on a painting by Jose de Ribera (1591-1652), nicknamed Lo Spagnoletto.
Jose de Ribera is mentioned in the same breath as the greats of European painting such as Velazquez, Veronese and Correggio as well as the Flemish school of Rubens and Van Dyck.
Finally, a visit to St Michael’s Church would not be complete without a look at the funerary hatchments. These 107 hand-painted plaques commemorate the deaths of prominent Ghent families from this parish.
The use of funerary hatchments became customary after the Holy Roman Emperor Joseph I prohibited the burial of the dead in the church and city in 1784. From that time on, the dead were buried in a cemetery outside the city.
These heraldic memorials were made and hung inside the church to honour their names in the parish.
