Church of St. Mary


The Church of St. Mary's (Saint Mary's Royal Church) is the only temple in Brussels built in the New Byzantine style. This Roman Catholic church is located on the Place de la Rhein in the Muslim Quarter.

What is interesting about the church?

Unfortunately, for the reason that this landmark is away from the historical center, few people have ever heard of it. This beauty was erected in the distant 19 century, and its main advantage can safely be considered a huge Byzantine dome, strewn with a multitude of stars. Round towers are a vivid example of the Romanesque style. They are crowned with arcades of columns with a fascinating eye carving. The facade of the church is decorated with blind windows, large with geometric patterns.

It is worth mentioning that the temple was built on the drawings of Louis van Verstraten (Louis van Overstraeten) in an eclectic style, flawlessly combining the Byzantine and Roman architecture. Construction began in 1845 and already in 1885 the townspeople could admire a new stone work of art. By the way, the windows mentioned above were designed by the Belgian stained glass artist Jean-Baptiste Capronnier.

Turning to the description of the facade of the building, I want to note that it was built in the Romanesque and Gothic style, and the entrance to the temple, in which today there are no services, is decorated with a massive portal. It is also called a canopy, as it is decorated with a mosaic panel on which Saint Mary is depicted. Once the temple suffered a bit from the fire and floods, but the restoration work was not carried out in it, and therefore the entrance is inwardly closed.

How to get there?

Opposite the church is the stop of tram number 93, and in a hundred meters there is a bus number 4.