Church of Our Lady
On Gingerguide's self-guided Bruges audio tour, Church of Our Lady is a stop worth about ~60 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Bruges Bruges guide
About Church of Our Lady
Bruges's tallest building with a 122-metre Gothic brick spire, housing Michelangelo's marble Madonna and Child and the tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgundy.
The Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) is a magnificent Gothic church whose brick tower, rising 122 metres, is the tallest structure in Bruges and the second tallest brick tower in the world. Construction spanned nearly two centuries, from the 13th to the 15th century. The church's greatest treasure is Michelangelo's marble statue of the Madonna and Child, carved around 1504 and purchased by a Bruges merchant, the only work by Michelangelo known to have left Italy during his own lifetime. The church also contains the magnificent Renaissance-era tombs of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and his daughter Mary of Burgundy, whose alabaster effigies are among the finest examples of 15th-century funerary art in northern Europe.
Did you know? Michelangelo's Madonna and Child in this church is the only work he is known to have sent abroad during his own lifetime; it was purchased by a Bruges merchant family for 100 gold ducats in 1504.
How much time do you need at Church of Our Lady?
Around ~60 min works well for Church of Our Lady — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Church of Our Lady?
Yes — Church of Our Lady made the cut as one of 22 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Bruges. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Bruges
Hear the story of Church of Our Lady
Preview the Bruges tour free in the Gingerguide app.