The medieval Basilica of the Holy Blood

As regards the monuments of the town, by far the most significant is the famous medieval Basilica of the Holy Blood, which stands on the right of the square beside the Town Hall. To locate it, face the Town Hall, and look to the right of its façade where you’ll see a dark 2-storey building with Gothic windows. This is the Basilica of the Holy Blood. The reason there are 2 levels is because the basilica consists of 2 chapels one built on top of the other. We’ll begin with the lower level, which is accessible from the square. Head for the corner of the square on our right where you’ll see a small 2-storey loggia decorated with gilded statues. Off you go. PRESS PAUSE Here we are in front of the loggia. Walk through the two ground-floor arcades where you’ll see a wooden door on your left. This leads to the lower chapel. Go inside and take a seat in one of the pews. PRESS PAUSE Here we are in the dark and contemplative atmosphere of this very simple 12th century Romanesque church. Before taking a look round, let’s talk a little about its history since it’s an important religious monument in Bruges. If you so wish however, feel free to move ahead to the following chapter entitled “The Lower Basilica”. So coming back to this basilica, it’s dedicated to the Holy Blood because in the upper chapel there’s a phial containing the dried blood of Christ. It was said that the blood used to miraculously liquefy during the Middle Ages. Apparently this ceased to occur in 1388. According to legend, when Christ died, a very pious Jew named Joseph of Aramithea washed the body of Christ and kept the bloodied water in a precious vessel. He also collected blood from the hands and feet of Jesus. This precious relic was initially hidden, then lost completely. There are a few very ancient accounts of some of this precious blood being located in Christendom. On a more factual basis, these relics were used by the Church as an argument against those heretics who claimed that Christ never really came on Earth and that as a result, his body was a mere illusion and he had not in reality suffered the Passions of Christ. So how did this relic find its way to Bruges? This is the tale that has been handed down. In 1146, Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders, left for the crusades. It was to become a totally chaotic military campaign for the Christian armies. However, one very positive thing came out of it for the Count. He received a gift from King Baldwin the 3rd of Jerusalem who handed him a phial of the Blood of Christ, which had been kept in the city until then. Returning to Flanders in 1150, he offered this precious relic to the people of Bruges. Well they obviously didn’t think much of this gesture, as there was no mention of the relic in Bruges until 1256. Even the Charter drawn up in 1189, which founded this church, carried no mention of the relic. Indeed, the church wasn’t even dedicated to the Holy Blood at that time but to Saint Basil the Great, a 4th century saint of the East. It’s more likely that the relic didn’t arrive here until after 1204 and that it was Jeanne of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders, who presented it to the city. The 1st great procession of the Holy Blood is mentioned in 1291. This spectacular celebration is still held annually to this day on Ascension Thursday and has been organised by the noble Brotherhood of the Holy Blood since the 15th century. The Brotherhood has 31 members who act as guard of honour to the relic. We’ll talk a little more about this later.