Basilica of the Holy Blood
The Basilica of the Holy Blood stands on the Burg square in the heart of Bruges and was built between 1134 and 1157 as the chapel of the Count of Flanders. It consists of two superimposed chapels: a sombre, virtually unaltered Romanesque lower chapel dedicated to Saint Basil the Great, and an upper chapel, rebuilt in Gothic style in the 16th century and richly redecorated in the 19th-century Gothic Revival manner.
The basilica takes its name from the relic of the Holy Blood, a rock-crystal phial said to contain cloth stained with the blood of Christ. Tradition holds it was brought back from the Holy Land by Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders, after the Second Crusade, though many historians link its arrival to the sack of Constantinople in 1204. The phial itself is a Byzantine perfume bottle of the 11th or 12th century.
Promoted to minor basilica in 1923, the church remains a focus of intense local devotion. Each day the relic is presented for veneration, and every year on Ascension Day the Procession of the Holy Blood, a UNESCO-recognised intangible heritage event, carries it through the streets of Bruges in one of Belgium's most celebrated religious pageants.
- Location
- 51.2082, 3.2267
- Local time
- 00:37 (Europe/Brussels)
🕘 Visiting hours
| Mon–Sun | 10:00–17:15 |
Typical published hours; the relic is shown for veneration daily around 14:00-16:00 and Friday mornings. Hours may vary seasonally, so verify on the official site.
✨ Saints & blessed venerated here
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Holy Blood of Christ Saint
The upper chapel enshrines a phial venerated as containing cloth stained with the blood of Jesus Christ.
-
Saint Basil the Great Saint
The Romanesque lower chapel is dedicated to Saint Basil the Great, whose relic was brought to Bruges in the 12th century.
Care & donations
Confraternity of the Holy Blood / parish of Bruges (Diocese of Bruges)
Entry to the basilica is free; the adjoining treasury museum charges a small admission fee, and donations support the relic's upkeep.
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