St. Salvator's Cathedral

2025-09-02T10:14:51Z

86.43.85.86: Fixed a typo.

{{Short description|Roman Catholic cathedral in Bruges, Belgium}}
{{morerefs|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox religious building
| building_name = St. Salvator's Cathedral {{small|Sint-Salvatorskathedraal}}
| religious_affiliation = [[Roman Catholic Church]]
| image = File:Brügge, Kathedrale Sint-Salvator (Außenansicht) (4).jpg
| caption = The [[facade]] of the cathedral
|status = [[Cathedral]]
|functional_status = Active
| location = [[Bruges]], [[Belgium]]
| tradition = [[Catholic]]
|architecture_type = [[Church architecture|Church]]
|architecture_style = [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]]
|height_max = {{convert|99|m}} (1 tower)
}}
[[File:Brugge Sint-Salvator R01.jpg|thumb|190x190px|The Tower built in the 19th century ]]
[[File:SintSalvatorBrugge.JPG|thumb|190px|right|Close-up of the tower ]]
[[File:Sint-Salvatorskathedraal2.jpg|thumb|190px|Interior ]]

'''St. Salvator's Cathedral''' ({{langx|nl|Sint-Salvatorskathedraal}}), also known as the '''Cathedral of the Saviour and St. Donat''', is the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] [[cathedral]] of [[Bruges]], Belgium. The cathedral is dedicated to the ''Verrezen Zaligmaker'' (Dutch, 'risen saviour', cf. Latin ''salvator'', 'saviour') and [[Donatian of Reims|Saint-Donatius of Reims]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Salvator's Cathedral |url=https://religiana.com/st-salvators-cathedral |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=Religiana |language=en}}</ref>

==History==
St. Salvator, the main [[church (building)|church]] of the city, is one of the few buildings in Bruges that have survived the onslaught of the ages without damage. Nevertheless, it has undergone some changes and renovations. This church was not originally built to be a cathedral; it was granted this status in the 19th century. Since the 10th century St. Salvator was a common [[parish church]]. At that time the Sint-Donaaskathedraal ([[St. Donatian's Cathedral]]), which was located at the very heart of Bruges, opposite the [[Bruges City Hall|City Hall]], was the central religious building of the city. In 1116, a new fire destroyed the building, and in 1127, the construction of a new larger church began in [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] style. In 1250, the construction of the present church was undertaken, which lasted for about a century. At the end of the 18th century, the [[France|French]] occupiers of Bruges threw out the [[bishop of Bruges]] and destroyed the Sint-Donaaskathedraal, which was his residence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=St. Salvator's Cathedral in Brugge, Belgium |url=https://www.gpsmycity.com/attractions/st-salvators-cathedral-31566.html |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=GPSmyCity |language=en}}</ref>

In 1834, shortly after [[Belgium]]'s independence in 1830, a new bishop was installed in Bruges and St. Salvator's Church obtained the status of cathedral. However, the building's external image did not resemble a cathedral. It was much smaller and less imposing than the nearby [[Church of Our Lady, Bruges|Church of Our Lady]] and had to be adapted to its new role. Building a higher and more impressive [[tower]] was one of the viable options.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The collection of the Saint-Salvator Cathedral {{!}} Flemish Primitives |url=https://vlaamseprimitieven.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be/en/sources/collections-development/saint-salvator-cathedral-bruges/ |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=vlaamseprimitieven.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be}}</ref>

The roof of the cathedral collapsed in a fire in 1839. [[Robert Chantrell]], an [[England|English]] [[architect]], famous for his [[Gothic Revival architecture|neo-Gothic]] restorations of English churches, was asked to restore St. Salvator to its former glory. At the same time, he was commissioned a project for a higher tower, in order to make it taller than that of Church of Our Lady. The oldest surviving part, dating from the 12th century, formed the base of the mighty tower. Instead of adding a neo-Gothic part to the tower, Chantrell chose a very personal [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] design. After completion there was a lot of criticism, and the Royal Commission for Monuments (''Koninklijke Commissie voor Monumenten''), without Chantrell's authorization, placed a small peak on top of the tower, because the original design was deemed too flat. The fortress-like neo-Romanesque west tower is 99 meters high.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schatkamer van de Sint-Salvatorskathedraal (Bruges) - Visitor Information & Reviews - WhichMuseum |url=https://whichmuseum.com/museum/schatkamer-van-de-sint-salvatorskathedraal-bruges-1585 |access-date=2023-02-02 |website=whichmuseum.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Interior==
St. Salvator's Cathedral's 101-meter-long interior contains some noteworthy furnishings. It currently houses many works of art that were originally stored in its destroyed predecessor, the Sint-Donaaskathedraal. The wall-carpets that can be seen when entering the church were manufactured in [[Brussels]] by [[Jasper van der Borcht]] in 1731. These were commissioned by bishop {{Interlanguage link multi|Hendrik van Susteren|nl|3=Hendrik Jozef van Susteren}} for Sint-Donaaskathedraal. St. Salvator also has the original paintings that served as models for the wall-carpets.

==Music==
[[File:Orgelbrugge.jpg|thumb|190px|right|Organ of St. Salvator's Cathedral]]
[[File:Sint-Salvatorskathedraal11.jpg|thumb|190px|right|Organ of St. Salvator's Cathedral, 2023]]
The [[Pipe organ|organ]] of the cathedral was originally built by [[Jacobus van Eynde|Jacobus Van Eynde]] (1717–1719) and was expanded and rebuilt three times in the 20th century: in 1902 by L. B. Hooghuys, in 1935 by [[Klais Orgelbau]] and in 1988 by Frans Loncke & zonen. The instrument has 60 [[Organ stop|stop]]s on three [[Manual (music)|manual]]s and [[Pedal keyboard|pedal]].<ref>[http://www.kathedraalconcerten.be/orgel.htm Geschiedenis van het orgel], history of the organ.</ref> The organ is played in services and in the Kathedraalconcerten, a concert series founded in 1952.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kathedraalconcerten.be/ |title=Kathedraalconcerten |publisher=Kathedraalconcerten.be |date= |accessdate=2014-04-14}}</ref> The organist is [[Ignace Michiels]]. 

==See also==
* [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges]]
* [[List of tallest structures built before the 20th century]]
* [[Belfry of Bruges]]
* [[Bruges City Hall]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071110033517/http://www.trabel.com/brugge/bruges-salvator.htm Article about the cathedral which appears to be source for this page]

==External links==
{{commons category|Sint-Salvatorskathedraal (Brugge)}}
*{{Official website|http://www.sintsalvator.be/ }} (with some English)
*[http://vlaamseprimitieven.vlaamsekunstcollectie.be/en/sources/collections-development/saint-salvator-cathedral-bruges collections saint-salvator-cathedral]

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{{Catholic Church in Belgium}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Roman Catholic churches in Bruges]]
[[Category:Museums in Bruges]]
[[Category:Bell towers in Belgium]]
[[Category:Brick Gothic]]
[[Category:Gothic architecture in Belgium]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic cathedrals in Belgium]]

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St. Salvator's Cathedral