What to do and see in Belgium, Belgium: The Best Sacred & Religious Sites

August 18, 2021 Claudia Navarrete

From canal-laced, fairy-tale cities like Bruges and Ghent to the urban centers of Antwerp and Brussels, Belgium sits at the crossroads of medieval and modern Europe. The chance to sample famous exports such as chocolate and beer straight from the source only sweetens a visit.
Restaurants in Belgium

1. Wat Thai Dhammaram

Chaussee de Louvain 71, Waterloo 1410 Belgium +32 2 385 28 55 http://www.watthaidhammaram.be
Excellent
86%
Good
14%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 7 reviews

Wat Thai Dhammaram

2. Basilica of the Holy Blood

Burg 13, Bruges 8000 Belgium +32 50 33 67 92 [email protected] http://www.holyblood.com/
Excellent
57%
Good
32%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
1%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 5,027 reviews

Basilica of the Holy Blood

This chapel contains a phial that reputedly contains Christ's blood brought back from the Crusades.

Reviewed By aline901 - Beirut, Lebanon

This is a beautiful Basilica that comprises two level churches. It is snugly located in a corner of Burg Square, the Basilica of the Holy Blood consists of a Romanesque lower chapel and a Gothic upper chapel The lower level church, a dark Romanesque structure, is so beautiful and has amazing statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The upper level church, connected by staircase, is amazing with modern and gothic style, houses the Relic of the Holy Blood. We were so lucky to visit on a Sunday morning when they held a mass and the Relic was on display afterwards for visitors to see it and get the blessings.

3. St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral (Cathedrale St-Michel et Ste-Gudule)

Parvis Sainte-Gudule Treurenberg Hill, Brussels 1000 Belgium +32 2 217 83 45 http://www.cathedralisbruxellensis.be/
Excellent
53%
Good
39%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 5,051 reviews

St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral (Cathedrale St-Michel et Ste-Gudule)

Reviewed By RicardoBowie - Edinburgh, United Kingdom

The church of St Michael is a masterpiece sitting in the centre of Brussels, 2 minutes walk away from the nearby station. Old European churches are always worth a visit for their stunning architecture and priceless works of art. A nice example which is well worth a visit.

4. St. Bavo's Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal)

Sint-Baafsplein Casco Historico de la Ciudad, Ghent 9000 Belgium +32 9 225 16 26 http://www.sintbaafskathedraal.be/
Excellent
60%
Good
33%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 3,171 reviews

St. Bavo's Cathedral (Sint-Baafskathedraal)

Reviewed By john_tabac - Southampton, United Kingdom

St Bavo’s Cathedral was a 12th century Romanesque church which dedicated to St John the Baptist. During the 15th and 16th centuries, was converted into the imposing Gothic St Bavo’s Cathedral. It has a rich history and it is also filled with art treasures. From the baroque high altar in white, black and red flamed marble, the Rococo pulpit in oak, gilded wood and marble, a masterpiece by Rubens, the Calvary Triptych by Justus van Gent, the Gothic sanctuary lamp, the opulent tombs of the Bishops of Ghent – and the world-famous Mystic Lamb. St Bavo’s Cathedral is still used for worship and although it has a sign that cameras are not allowed inside, everybody take pictures and security staff didn't say anything. Only in Mystic Lamb they don't allow pictures.

5. Eglise St-Barthelemy (Church of St. Bartholomew)

Place Saint-Barthelemy, Liege 4000 Belgium +32 4 250 23 72 http://www.st-barthelemy.be
Excellent
49%
Good
43%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 219 reviews

Eglise St-Barthelemy (Church of St. Bartholomew)

Reviewed By 933thierryf

when we attended the coteaux, we were able to visit this church that show again the display of marble floor, a baptism place dating from several hundreds years, typical catholic church

6. Collegiale Sainte-Waudru

Place du Chapitre, Mons 7000 Belgium +32 475 64 28 78 [email protected] http://www.waudru.be
Excellent
55%
Good
38%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 508 reviews

Collegiale Sainte-Waudru

Reviewed By macedonboy - Glasgow, United Kingdom

The Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church is the magnificent building of Mons. Even from the outside, one can see the church is of Gothic design, although the southern section is covered in scaffolding due to restoration work. The Gothic design is much more obvious from the inside with straight lines of incredible height. Part of that is down to the hardness of the stone used and even now looks so solid. As you can guess from the name, the church is named in honour of Saint Waltrude, whose shrine and reliquary can also be found inside. Her head can be found in the chapel dedicated to her and the reliquary containing her body is held above the high altar for all to see. The church also has some chapels with important sculptures and paintings such as those by Jacques du Broeucq and Peter Paul Rubens. The chapel of Saint Peter is unexpected as it has a wooden sculpture of death to symbolically represent the passage of time, as well as an alabaster sculpture of Jesus symbolically handing over the keys of heaven to Peter. There's also a free downloadable audio guide, which is good enough to help you understand the history of the church as well as giving good commenter on all the chapels.

7. The Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren

Westvleteren, Vleteren Belgium +32 57 40 03 77 [email protected] http://www.sintsixtus.be
Excellent
59%
Good
25%
Satisfactory
11%
Poor
2%
Terrible
3%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 209 reviews

The Abbey of Saint Sixtus of Westvleteren

Reviewed By FyFazan - Oslo, Norway

You are not allowed entrance into the area without setting up an appointment first. Anyway, defintely worth to visit the place that makes "the best beer in the world", and enjoy the Westvleteren beers at the nearby restaurant "In de Vrede". A must visit when in Belgium.

8. Dadizele Basilica

Menin Road, Dadizele Belgium
Excellent
54%
Good
46%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 13 reviews

Dadizele Basilica

9. Saint James Church

Rue du Palais Saint-Jacques, Tournai 7500 Belgium http://www.saint-jacques-tournai.be
Excellent
50%
Good
43%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
2%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 56 reviews

Saint James Church

Reviewed By nmhiker2015 - Las Cruces, United States

This church looks a little sad from the outside, but has some amazing finds on the inside. First, as you go in there is a large carved trumpeting angel which is very impressive. Inside the church, there are several lovely stained glass windows, and the vaulted ceiling above the altar has some remnants of very pretty blue. The best feature is the barrel vaulted ceiling in the main part of the church. There were a couple of boards - unfortunately not in English - that show an up close detailed view of this unique ceiling. Stop by, enjoy the view, and drop a Euro or two in the box to help them maintain and improve this little gem.

10. Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-over-de-Dijlekerk

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerkhof, Mechelen 2800 Belgium http://toerisme.mechelen.be/nl/onze-lieve-vrouw-over-de-dijlekerk
Excellent
59%
Good
35%
Satisfactory
7%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 46 reviews

Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-over-de-Dijlekerk

Reviewed By GeorgetheGreek2020

It is the most beuatiful church of Mechelen with many statues and excellent stuff near the center of town. It should be visited !!

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