Travels with a Curator: Charterhouse, Bruges

A presentation by Xavier F. Salomon of the Frick Collection of a beautiful painting, “The Virgin and Child with St. Barbara, St. Elizabeth, and Jan Vos,” by Jan van Eyck, commissioned by Jan Vos, the prior of the Charterhouse of Bruges.  

As others have commented, there is a theological error in the explanation of the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory provided in the video; souls in Purgatory can only be destined for Heaven, not Hell. 

The Belfry of Bruges

Here are two poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on the beautiful city and belfry of Bruges,   Carillon and The Belfry of Bruges.  

The Madonna of Bruges

A Michelangelo in Belgium. To quote Mary Ann Sullivan, of Bluffton University:

Scholars have speculated that this work was first conceived for an altar in the Siena Duomo commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini. At some point Michelangelo must have been persuaded to sell the sculpture to an affluent Bruges gentleman, Jan de Moscron, who in 1514 donated the work as part of a sumptuous altar to the Church of Our Lady. It is also speculated that the sculpture had originally been conceived with a lower viewing angle, which would explain the odd proportions and the downcast eyes of both Jesus and Mary. During Michelangelo's lifetime, this work was the sole sculpture by him outside of Italy although today both the Louvre and the Hermitage own works by him...

Unlike many depictions of the Madonna and Child, this work is sober and serious. Symbolically, it illustrates the traditional idea that the Virgin was aware of her Child's tragic destiny; her pensive gaze seems to reflect this. In addition, Jesus steps down from her lap as if he too is aware of his future role. Here he seems ready to walk and to begin symbolically the journey that will lead to his Passion.

(Image credits and permissions, HERE and HERE.)

Bruges & The Holy Blood

(Photo credit: Matt Hopkins)

Here, we see the main altar of the Basilica of the Holy Blood in Bruges, built to house a venerated relic of the Precious Blood of Christ. According to tradition, King Baldwin III of Jerusalem acquired the relic in the Holy Land, during the Second Crusade, and gave it to his brother-in-law, the Count of Flanders, Diederik van Elzas (Thierry of Alsace). The Count brought it to Bruges, and placed it in the church on April 7, 1150. Since, however, the first known mention of the Holy Blood in Bruges dates from 1256, researchers consider that the relic was probably taken by the Count of Flanders, Baldwin IX, from Constantinople, during the Fourth Crusade.

(Photo credit: Matt Hopkins)

Above, we see the side altar where the Holy Blood is presented to worshippers; below, the rock-crystal vial containing the relic.
In 1310, Pope Clement V urged the faithful to venerate the Holy Blood. Accordingly, the famous Procession of the Holy Blood was established in Bruges, and the tradition continues to this day. Every year, on the Feast of the Ascension, the relic is solemnly carried through the streets of Bruges, amid historical reenactments of its arrival in the city and vivid portrayals of Biblical scenes. Thousands of people participate; even now, the citizens retain a deep reverence for the sacred relic. As it passes by, the crowds grow still and silent. 

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Bruges

An old street in Bruges (Brugge in Dutch), the capital of the province of West Flanders, Belgium. The Church of Our Lady is in the background. 

Photo credits and licensing information here.