Eglise st Jacques sur Coudenberg / Sint-Jacob op de Coudenberg kerk

*The Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg Church is a royal parish.*
A royal lodge is nestled in its chancel. The church is full of wonders: a statue carved by Laurent Delvaux, Charles de Lorraine’s sculptor, beautiful metal work, romantic organs dating back to the 18th century…
But one must not overlook the architectural interest of the building itself. *When you enter this magnificent neoclassical structure, you are overwhelmed by a strong aesthetic feel.* Undoubtedly impressing!
*Another specificity of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg: it is one of the churches on the path of the pilgrims going to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.*
It is an important fact as, for many centuries, pilgrims started from here and crossed Belgium and France to get to Galicia, in the North of Spain. To this day, some pilgrims still come here so that the parish priest stamps their pilgrimage book.
*“Did you know that Mozart came here and wandered around the Place Royale? During a trip through the great European capitals, Leopold Mozart stopped in Brussels with his son Wolfgang, the prodigiously precocious piano virtuoso who was then 7 or 8 years old.*
Some say that their stay in Brussels was extended by several days, while they were waiting to be seen by Charles de Lorraine, Governor of Marie-Thérèse, the Empress of Austria.
It was during that time that the young Wolfgang Amadeus wrote what would be later called the ‘Brussels Sonatine’, a small and charming piece, perfectly attune with the spirit of the 18th century. This anecdote is well worth remembering."
[Interview with one of the managers of St Jacques Church]

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