Ghent 2

As it was Sunday I headed over to Sint-Niklaaskerk for Mass. A bunch of bearded octogenarians in long white robes, harmoniously singing their heads off, conducted the ceremony. An absolute riot! A little further on was Saint Bavo's Cathedral with its 14th century, 292 foot Neo-Gothic Belfry. A dragon topping the spire symbolized a vigilant protector of the city. St. Bavo's Cathedral with its 100 foot high Nave, Gothic arches and stained glass vitrines deserves a special mention. The highlight of the church is the Ghent Altarpiece, "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb", a masterpiece painted by Jan van Eyck in 1432. The work is monumental: 15 feet wide and 11 feet high. It is composed of a dozen separate panels, depicts hundreds of figures and weighs over a ton. Briefly its upper panels show God in a rich red robe, flanked by Mary and John the Baptist. The outermost panels show a nude Adam and Eve. The main scene, playing across five separate panels, depicts the adoration of the Lamb, that is, Jesus, the sacrificial victim who saved the world from sin. Photos are not allowed, but I managed a quick one from the side. On one of the chapels in the main church is a replica of Van Eyck's Adam and Eve with clothes on. There is also an elaborately carved Rococo pulpit from 1740, representing the tree of life. On the left transept of the church is a remarkable 1624 painting by Peter Paul Rubens, "St. Bavo Entering the Monastery of Ghent". (Rubens portrayed himself as Bavo). Finally on the floor below was the Crypt showing some of the building's Romanesque foundations and ecclesiastical art.










Comments

  1. Unknown1 July 2018 at 13:58

    "Et tu mon fils". Van Eyck's masterpiece sounds magnificent. Not to mention the old chaps singing! 🎶

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