Saint Michael's Church

Saint Michael's Church (Dutch: Sint-Michielskerk) is a Roman Catholic church in Ghent, built in a late Gothic style. It has rich interior decoration. The exterior of the sober late Gothic church is entirely constructed with sandstone from Brussels and Ledian sandstone. The church has a rich Neo-Gothic interior, including an altar and a pulpit in that style. There are various 18th century statues, including a Saint Livinus by Laurent Delvaux, a wooden St. Sebastian by J. Franciscus Allaert, eight marble statues of saints and a copy of Michelangelo's Madonna of Bruges by Rombaut Pauwels. The church contains many Baroque paintings, including Christ Dying on the Cross by Anthony van Dyck, the Resurrection of Lazarus by Otto Venius and paintings by Gaspar de Crayer, Philippe de Champaigne, Karel van Mander, Jan Boeckhorst, Antoon van den Heuvel, Theodoor van Thulden and others. There are confessionals from various style periods including a Baroque confessional from the early 17th century by François Cruyt with statues sculpted by Michiel van der Voort. Organ: The organ dates back to an instrument that was built in 1817 by the organ builder De Volder. The style of the front is fully made in gothic revival. In 1951 the instrument was remodeled and expanded by the organ builder Anneessens. The organ has 47 stops on three manuals and a pedal. Church Treasure: There are numerous silver and gold artefacts in the silver collection. An important item is the relic of St Dorothea, in silver. Very famous is the relic of the sacred 'Doorn' brought to the church by Mary, Queen of Scots, and a relic of the true Cross a gift of the Archduke Albrecht and Isabella in 1619.