Church of Notre-Dame aux Riches Claires

The church of Notre-Dame aux Riches Claires is a baroque style church built in 1665 by the Malinois architect Lucas Faydherbe.In 1796, following the French Revolution, the Poor Clares were expelled from their convent to which the church was attached. The church became a military store and the other buildings of the monastery were sold in 1805 as a national property. Later in the century, the streets "Saint-Christophe" and "des Riches-Claires" were traced through the property of the monastery. The church escaped destruction and regained its character as a place of worship in 1806.

About this building

Key Features

  • Architecture
  • Monuments

Visitors information

  • Bus stop within 100m
  • Café within 500m

Other nearby buildings

Notre-Dame du Bon Secours

The Church of Our Lady of Good Help, in the centre of the city of Brussels, is a baroque religious building dating from the 17th century. On this site was a small chapel mentioned as early as the 12th century, which was replaced in the 13th century by a church dedicated to Santiago de Compostela. The reconstruction of the church in the 17th century corresponds to the discovery of a statue of the Virgin Mary at this location, which quickly became an object of veneration and gave the church its present name.

Sainte-Catherine Church

The present Church of Saint Catherine of Brussels was built on the site of a dock in the old port of Brussels between 1854 and 1874. The building, of French Gothic inspiration, replaces an old 14th century church that had become too small. Twice the church has been threatened with demolition: in the 1950s in favour of an open-air car park, in 2011, as a project to transform the building into a covered market is under study. In 2014, the church was finally placed under the responsibility of the priests of the Brotherhood of the Holy Apostles.

Saint Nicolas of Brussels

The Church of St. Nicholas in Brussels, built around 1125, is one of the first churches in Brussels and the best preserved in its successive modifications. Of the original Romanesque style church, some remains remain in the entrance porch, discovered during the reconstruction of the façade in 1956. This Romanesque style building had a tower that housed the city's bells and was therefore the bell tower of Brussels. Destroyed by a storm in 1367, it was immediately rebuilt. The church was closed in 1797 and sold in 1799. Almost demolished, it was finally returned to worship in 1804.