Basilica of the Holy Blood in Bruges

Old Bruges, which has fully preserved the charm of European cities of the Middle Ages, is not only an important tourist center in Belgium. Here, in the 12th century church, a great shrine is kept - a particle of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, preserved, according to legend, by Saint Joseph of Arimathea and brought to Europe by Count of Flanders Thierry of Alsace in 1150, after the Second Crusade.

Once built as the home chapel of the Counts of Flanders, since 1923 the Church of the Holy Blood has had the status of a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. In Dutch its name sounds like Heilig-Bloedbasiliek, in French - Basilique du Saint-Sang. Strictly speaking, the basilica is not one, but two churches: the lower, in the Romanesque style, consecrated in honor of St. Basil the Great - and the upper, Gothic, built in 1134-1157 (reconstructed in the 16th and 19th centuries), in which the great Christian shrine - a drop of the Blood of Christ, imprinted on a fragment of His funeral vestments. The upper church is called the Chapel of the Holy Blood.
It is interesting to note that the already mentioned Count Thierry of Alsace (aka Diederik van den Elzas) began the construction of the chapel long before bringing Bruges particles of the Holy Blood - and completed seven years after this event. The relic itself is located inside a sealed rock crystal capsule, which, in turn, is placed in a glass cylinder with gold tips decorated with figurines of angels. Interestingly, since its arrival in Bruges, the relic capsule has never been opened. Its lid is wrapped with gold thread, and the cork is sealed with red wax.
The first written mention of the relic dates back to 1256, which suggests another way along which it could get to Bruges - from Constantinople, plundered by the crusaders in 1204. This version is supported by the processing of the ampoule, Byzantine in its style.
The Basilica of the Holy Blood is adjacent to the City Hall of Bruges, which in the Middle Ages was the seat of the Counts of Flanders called the Old Castle (Oud Steen).
The decoration of the lower church is very restrained, the decorations of its interior are few and laconic, as befits a Romanesque temple, where a person who makes a prayer should concentrate internally, and not glance over the walls and vaults of the temple. The church has two naves, the main one and the side one. Inside the church, right above the entrance, there is a 12th century bas-relief with a scene of the Baptism of the Lord. On the right is a wooden sculpture of the Madonna and Child works of the XIV century. To the left of the choirs rest part of the relics of St. Basil and the relics of the Count of Flanders, Blessed Charles the Good.
But the upper, Gothic chapel plays with a variety of colors, gold, skillful patterns and images of the rulers of Flanders on stained glass windows. Initially, it was also decorated in the Romanesque style - but already in the 15th century the chapel's interior became Gothic. Behind the Baroque altar, you can see a large two-part painting, made in 1905. Above - the Savior surrounded by angels against the background of the walls of Bethlehem, below - a procession carrying His Holy Blood from Jerusalem to Bruges. The altar of the chapel is also decorated with paintings on the theme of the Last Supper.
The two churches, upper and lower, are connected to each other by a staircase hidden behind the facade of the basilica. The facade was made in 1533 in the style of the Renaissance, but later it was destroyed during the French occupation. It was restored only in the 19th century.
Once a year, on the Great Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, the relic leaves the walls of the basilica. Before that, the Procession of the Holy Blood passes through the streets of the medieval city in front of thousands of people - a kind of dynamic theater, the characters of which on stretching for several hours tell about the death of the Savior on the cross, St. Joseph of Arimathea, who preserved the shrine, and also how she eventually ended up in Bruges by the grace of the Lord God ... The procession ends at the walls of the Basilica, the clergy of which, accompanied by representatives of the city authorities, will wear out the reliquary with the Holy Blood towards the participants of the procession.
The tradition of the theatrical procession on the day of the Ascension is very old: it may have existed since the time when the Holy Blood was brought to Bruges. And the first written mention of it dates back to 1291. Even then, the costumed procession with monologues, songs and instrumental music became firmly established in the local religious tradition - and annually attracted thousands of people to Bruges. Today, as well as many centuries ago, many townspeople gladly take part in the Procession of the Holy Blood. A special flavor of the procession is given by its accompaniment by four-legged participants: horses, sheep, donkeys and even camels.

You can write a letter to God or light a candle in the temple .