St. Salvator's Cathedral

The Saint-Salvator Cathedral is the cathedral of Bruges, Flanders, in present-day Belgium. The cathedral is dedicated to the Verrezen Zaligmaker and Saint-Donatius of Reims.

The Saint-Salvator Cathedral, the main church of the city, is one of the few buildings in Bruges that have survived the onslaught of the ages without damage. Nevertheless, it has undergone some changes and renovations. This church was not originally built to be a cathedral; it was granted the status in the 19th century. Since the 10th century the Saint-Salvator was a common parish church. At that time the Sint-Donaaskathedraal , which was located at the very heart of Bruges, opposite of the town hall, was the central religious building of the city. In 1116 a new fire destroyed the building and in 1127 and the construction of a new larger church began in Romanesque style. In 1250 the construction of the present church was undertaken, which lasted for about a century. At the end of the 18th century the French occupiers of Bruges threw out the bishop of Bruges and destroyed the Sint-Donaaskathedraal, which was his residence.

Wikipedia