ARCHITECT, Flemish
(active 1657-1676 in Brussels)

Interior view

1657-76
Photo
Begijnhofkerk, Brussels

The Beguinage church in Brussels was built by an unknown architect. The High Baroque sense of vitality is displayed in the luxuriant decoration of the façade. Both the sculptural treatment of the architectural components and the rich decorative ornament determine its appearance. A remarkable feature of the façade is that it consists not of the usual type of screen façade flanked by volutes, but of three separate bays each of which corresponds to one of the three aisles of the church, which is built like a hall church.

The rich decoration is also a feature of the interior. Between the clerestory and the arches of the nave the wall surface is crowded with cherubs' heads and coats of arms. This passion for ornament is an echo of a typical northern-European craving for flamboyance as a legacy of the long survival of the Late Gothic style.

The photo shows a view of the nave towards the choir.