Kapellekerk

Where the cemetery of the Kapellekerk used to be, since 2015 there stands a bronze statue of Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The 16th-century painter is buried here, in one of the oldest parish churches of Brussels. Originally, it was the place of worship for weavers, leather workers, and other craftsmen, who were not welcome in the city center due to the noise or smell of their work.

Inside the church, there are two monuments that you definitely should not miss: the memorial for Pieter Bruegel in a side chapel of the right aisle, and the statue of the sorrowfully looking Nuestra Señora de la Soledad in a black cape. Spanish soldiers are said to have brought the statue to Brussels in the 16th century. Now, the church is the meeting place for Polish Brussels residents, who organize four well-attended Eucharistic celebrations here every weekend. Around the Kapellekerk, most local cafés have given way to trendier and more expensive dining venues.

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