Sint-Niklaaskerk

The Sint-Niklaaskerk is a small church on the Grand Place of Brussels. The exact year of construction of the church is unclear, but the church was first mentioned in 1152. The church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of merchants. There used to be a large bell tower near the church, but that tower was damaged during the French bombardment of 1695. The tower was then rebuilt, but in 1714 it completely collapsed. Much of the rest of the church was also damaged or burned down during the French bombardment. Furthermore, the church suffered a lot from looting. Around 1700, an almost completely new church was built and that is the church that you can still find on the Grote Markt in Brussels. The church was restored several times, the last time in 1956. In the church today you can still find some art treasures such as the Stomach with the Sleeping Child by Rubens.