St. James's Church

Sint-Jakobskerk
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St. James Church is a Catholic brick church in the old town of Bruges, known for its many art treasures. It can be visited free of charge from Friday to Monday.

History of the St. Jacob's Church

The church was built in the early 13th century, but initially as a small chapel. At that time, the building consisted of a nave and had a transept. In the 15th century, the foundation stone was laid for the church's present appearance. Thanks to donations from the Dukes of Burgundy and the guilds of the Hanseatic city of Bruges, the church was extended between 1457 and 1512 to become a hall church with three naves. The northern aisle, several side chapels and the wooden choir vault were built. From the first building from the 13th century only the transept remained. At the time of the iconoclasm, St. Jacob's Church was also plundered in 1580. Important paintings were lost in the process.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the building received increasingly baroque elements. In the nineties of the 17th century, several side chapels were again added to the church, for example the Chapel of the Surgeons, the Chapel of St. Anthony and the present sacristy. In addition, the wooden cross-ribbed vault was added and the northern and southern entrance portals were built. The choir windows were bricked up and the pointed arch windows were replaced by segmented arches. The interior was also renovated in the Baroque style. Furniture and some paintings, including "Adoration of the Magi", date from this period.

In the 19th century the sacrament chapel and the north choir were changed. A superstructure with neo-Gothic additions was added. The west façade was restored to its original early Gothic style. In 1910 and 1911 the northern transept, still the last element of the 13th century building, was restored.