Saint Bavo's Cathedral

Home of the Ghent Altarpiece, one of the most important paintings in history

Address Sint-Baafsplein 1, 9000 Ghent
Opening Hours Mon–Sat 9:30–17:00, Sun 13:00–17:30

Saint Bavo's Cathedral is the main reason to come to Ghent if you have any interest in art history. The cathedral houses the Ghent Altarpiece — formally "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb" — painted by Hubert and Jan van Eyck and completed in 1432. It is one of the most important paintings in Western art, a polyptych of 12 panels that broke with the flat Byzantine tradition to achieve a new kind of pictorial depth and realism.

The cathedral itself is Gothic, built over four centuries between the 10th and 16th. The interior is large and dark and the altarpiece is displayed in its own climate-controlled room, visible for an additional entry fee. The restoration now ongoing is revealing details hidden under centuries of varnish, and certain panels remain in the conservation studio — check the website for current status. Even in partial form, the altarpiece is extraordinary.

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A story
The Ghent Altarpiece (1432) was stolen or looted more than any other artwork in history — at least 13 times. Napoleon had it taken to Paris; it was sold to a Berlin museum; its panels were scattered across Europe; and after World War I, as part of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was required to return it. During World War II, the Nazis stole it again and hid it in a salt mine in Austria. American soldiers found it in 1945, returning the altarpiece to Ghent, where it has remained.

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