From the owner: En plein centre Cette église de style gothique fut édifié en cinq siècles! Elle est composée de…read morecinq nefs de hauteur égale (ce qui est rare)et ornée d'une dizaine de toiles de dimension importante de Van Oost et d'une petite toile anonyme plus ancienne représentant Saint Maurice.

Unfortunately the cathedral was closed to the public the day I was in Arras. However this church…read morewasn't, which meant we could go inside for a bit of a wander. Actually, being quite close to the centre of town also made it somewhat more attractive, and it was a bit of a hike to the cathedral. Then again Arras is a small town so getting pretty much anywhere is a bit of a hike. However, like a lot of the churches, this one had a gorgeous interior, and is certainly worth stepping inside simply to have a look around. I won't necessarily say that it has character, but it does have a feel about it that make sit a pleasant place to visit.

Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-DRINK! It sounds like a drinking chant, sorry…read more Church of Our Lady, the tallest thing in Bruges, unless I'm on my back. Pretty church with brick, marble, smooth stone, bronze, the highlight being Michelangelo's marble Madonna and Child. Aptly, the child was African, just like the singer Madonna. Only this Madonna didn't have a red string around her wrist. Madonna was stolen twice, actually. Three times if you count Lady Gaga.

Its 300 ft tall brick tower, the second tallest of the world, illustrates the craftsmanship of the…read moreBruges builders. Since it was Sunday this historic church was closed to the public. Inside we missed art treasures, Michelangelo's world-famous marble Madonna & Child as the absolute highlight. The rich church interior contains numerous paintings, 13th and 14th century painted crypts and the 15th and 16th century tombs of Mary of Burgundy & Charles the Bold.

Moving Experience I…read morecould not get any photos because there was a religious ceremony inside. Seeing the ceremony was a moving experience.

The basilica was tucked away in a corner of this plaza hemmed in on one side by City Hall and the…read moreother side by the Basilica of St. Basil. I was able to enter the Basilica before mass and had the opportunity to explore both chapels. Upstairs was the ornate and richly painted chapel with a beautiful wooden ceiling. Downstairs the chapel was quite stark and a bit dark. Quite a contrast between the two different styles. The relic containing the cloth with the blood of Christ was located on a platform overseen by a sitting priest. One queued at the bottom while the person ahead spent time looking at the container. I suggest starting here before exploring the rest of the basilica in case of lines.

After we had dropped off our bags we decided to go for a bit of a wander around Lille and, and we…read morehad previously walked past this rather large church so we decided to step inside to have a look around. Well, as you can expect this place was pretty impressive, but then again this is something that I have basically come to expect of most churches in on the continent, especially the larger ones. In a way this was similar to many of the other cathedrals that I had wondered into, but that didn't mean that it was any less stunning. Like many of these older Cathedrals the architecture was stunning, as was the interior art and decorations. It was a fantastic place to spend some time.

From the owner: Au C'ur de la ville 'uvre de Jules Batigny, cette église catholique fut construite entre 1875 et…read more1926. A l'intérieur, on peut notamment admirer une splendide chaire et, dans la chapelle inaugurée en juin 1890, de magnifiques vitraux classés monuments historiques, exécutés à Chartres d'après les dessins du peintre valenciennois H.Crauck.

St. Bavo's Cathedral was the must stop for me in Ghent to see the Adoration of the Lamb altarpiece…read morepainted by Jan Van Eck. The only way to view it required a 12.5E admission which gained entrance to the rear of the cathedral. The altarpiece was located behind a glass enclosure not only to protect it from the environment but also prevent any more thefts. Most of the altarpiece appeared in vivid colors and in great detail from the recently completed restoration of the lower panels. The top panels were high resolution copies (you can see the originals still being restored at the Museum of Fine Arts - MSK). Don't just look at the front but also circle around to the sides to see more paintings. Those would be shown in front when the altarpiece sides were swung shut. Another masterpiece located in the rear was the Conversion of St. Bavo by another great artist, Peter Paul Ruebens. St. Bavo is the patron saint of Ghent. The rest of the cathedral was admission free to wander and other items of interest were the statue of Father Damiaan and the very detailed carved pulpit.

Really pretty church in Ghent that's pretty centrally located. Lots of beautiful intricate details…read moreinside. Free to walk inside and look around but a paid ticket is required to view the famous Ghent Altarpiece (The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb) and the accompanying Augmented Reality (AR) tour.