I have to admit, when we decided to go to Bruges in Belgium, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve briefly heard of Bruges in European travel books, but that was as deep as my knowledge had gone. Even after looking in my Europe guidebook, it contained only about 2 paragraphs on the entire city. A group of eight of us arrived on Saturday, May 22nd straight from our trip to Amsterdam. As soon as we walked out of the train station, the sun was shining and people were buzzing. This was surely a foreshadowing to our first travel explorations in Belgium. We started our journey to the center of the town, and within a couple hundred feet of the train station, we had already encountered the cobblestone roads and the dated buildings. The once our bags were settled in the hotel, we started a blind adventure around the city. We quickly noted the vast amounts of people and the proportion of tourists. Like us, the tourists were unmistakable by their maps, cameras, and purses slung cautiously across their bodies. We stumbled across a beautiful plaza soon after our arrival. After some quick Internet browsing, I found that this plaza in particular was called the Burg Square, which contained many structures with antique architectural designs. Each of these buildings were very unique in their design, yet fit together in a beautiful way. The view from standing in this square was almost incomprehensible.
Looking around, we saw an immense building that resembled a church and decided to take a look inside. When we walked in, it was obvious that this was not a church. We courageously asked a woman where a church was, and she politely replied in broken English, “No, no church. Next door.” Although we were confused, we eagerly followed her instructions. To our surprise, there was a small “religious-looking” building to the right of where we were. All of the churches we have seen in Europe thus far have been enormous, towering into the sky, so this one in particular took us by surprise. The signs right when we walked in told us that this was the infamous Basilica of the Holy Blood. I had heard of this site before, but never connected the relation to Bruges. Furthermore, we learned that Joseph of Arimathea collected Christ’s blood and this is where it is housed.
The interior was breathtaking to say the least. From ceiling to floor, the walls were filled with magnificent paintings and sculptures that relate to the history of Catholicism. After researching this infamous church, the lower level resembles a Romanesque architecture, while the upper level with the relic of blood is Gothic architecture. During our recent geography lecture, we learned that this Gothic style allowed for intricate stained glass windows to be displayed within the church. The stained glass windows were immaculate, to say the least. The amount of color and detail within these windows seems surreal, even in person.
Just like the ‘politics’ of the location of the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, this basilica was situated in an inconspicuous part of the city. Both of these buildings, however, represent a historical representation of important aspects of the cities in which they are situated. The fact that this basilica supposedly contains a vile of the Blood of Christ is a controversial topic within itself. It is up to one’s own beliefs and faith in the Catholic religion to interpret the symbolic meaning of this issue. We have learned that religion involves human relationships to what is regarded as holy or sacred. This is a prime example of the values of each individual and the meaning that this relic holds. I would strongly suggest making the Basilica of the Holy Blood one of many sites to see in Bruges, especially if Catholicism is of particular value and importance. The following link gives a brief but adequate overview of this sacred place, as well as pictures of the church from the inside and out.
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/belgium/bruges-basilica-of-holy-blood.htm
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