Saint-Michel Cathedral

Another one of the most beautiful historical sites in Belgium is Saint-Michael Cathedral. The cathedral's beginnings are unknown, although historians believe that a chapel dedicated to Saint Michael was in its position as early as the 9th century, on what was then Brussels' most significant point.

The structure of Saint-Michael Cathedral is designed in the traditional Latin cross style, with a three-bay long choir and a five-sided apse encircled by an ambulatory. The main (western) facade is characteristic of the French Gothic style, with three portals crowned by gables and two 64-meter-high (210-foot) towers, but it lacks a rose window in favor of a massive ogival window in the Brabantine Gothic style. The entire edifice is supported by powerful double-span flying buttresses influenced by Soissons Cathedral and capped with pinnacles and gargoyles.