Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk)

The Church of Our Lady, or Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk, stands on Mariastraat in Brugge, Belgium, and is dominated by its brick tower, which at around 115 metres is among the tallest brick structures in the world and the highest point in the city. The building dates mainly from the 13th to 15th centuries, in the Scheldt Gothic style, and it served as the parish church of the wealthy merchants and as a place of burial for the Burgundian court. The nave is free to enter and gives a first look at the soaring vaults and the austere stone interior. The choir area, which requires a ticket of about EUR 8 and can be combined with the Gruuthusemuseum next door, holds the main treasures. The most famous is Michelangelo's marble Madonna and Child, carved around 1504 and bought by a Brugge cloth merchant, one of the few Michelangelo sculptures to leave Italy during his lifetime. It sits in a side chapel, lit in a way that shows its serene face. The choir also holds the monumental bronze and enamel tombs of Charles the Bold, the last Valois Duke of Burgundy, and his daughter Mary of Burgundy, with effigies on their tombs and heraldic shields, plus painted tombs and 13th-century murals in the burial vaults. Altarpieces and paintings by Pieter Pourbus and Gerard David round out the collection. Visitors should plan roughly 45 minutes, a little more if reading the panels. Since the church remains a place of worship, the choir may close during services. The late morning is a good moment, after the first opening rush and before lunchtime. Photography is generally allowed in the nave but limited in the paid areas. The church is a short walk from the Dijver canal and the Groeningemuseum, and its tower is best photographed from the bridge at Mariabrug or from the bank near the Gruuthusemuseum.