St Bavo's Cathedral (Ghent)
Saint Bavo's Cathedral is the principal church of Ghent and the seat of the Diocese of Ghent, an 89-metre-tall Gothic building raised over Romanesque foundations between the tenth and sixteenth centuries. It became a cathedral in 1559 when the diocese was created, taking its name from the abbey of Saint Bavo that once stood in the city.
The cathedral's worldwide fame rests on a single object: the Ghent Altarpiece, or "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," completed by the brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck in 1432. This vast, jewel-like polyptych is one of the most important paintings in the history of Western art, a founding work of oil painting whose luminous panels have survived theft, dispersal, wartime looting and a still-unsolved 1934 panel theft, only to be returned again and again to the chapel built to display it.
Beyond the altarpiece, the church holds a Baroque high altar, a Rubens canvas, an immense marble pulpit and an atmospheric crypt with medieval wall paintings. Pilgrims of art history flock here from around the world, making the cathedral one of the great cultural treasures of Flanders and a highlight of any visit to Ghent.
- Location
- 51.0530, 3.7270
- Local time
- 00:36 (Europe/Brussels)
🕘 Visiting hours
| Mon–Sat | 08:30–17:30 |
| Sun | 13:00–17:30 |
Mystic Lamb visitor centre (Ghent Altarpiece) keeps shorter hours, roughly 10:00-17:00 (Sun 13:00-17:00).
✨ Saints & blessed venerated here
-
Saint Bavo of Ghent Saint
Patron to whom the cathedral is dedicated.
-
Saint John the Baptist Saint
Original 942 dedication; gilded-silver head reliquary kept in the crypt.
-
Saint Macarius of Ghent Saint
Relics venerated here; plague patron with a dedicated cult.
-
Saint Amandus Saint
Founder of St Bavo's Abbey, venerated in the cathedral's heritage.
-
Saint Liévin (Livinus) Saint
Local Ghent martyr-saint long venerated in the St Bavo tradition.
-
Saint Coleta of Corbie Saint
Ghent-born Poor Clare reformer venerated in the diocese.
Care & donations
Diocese of Ghent / Cathedral parish of St Bavo
Admission to view the Ghent Altarpiece and donations support the cathedral
Official website →The candle wall
1 candles burning now · 150 places
00:36
Tap an empty holder to light your own candle · €2.00 · hover a flame to see its intention