The Henson Journals

[262]

Thursday, August 17th, 1911. Bruges.

The weather continues warm & sunny. I had a short walk before breakfast. This meal we took in the hotel at 8 a.m., and then went out to see the city. Our first object was Notre Dame, a stately church with a tower & spire 400 feet high, making a conspicuous feature in every prospect of Bruges. Here we saw the magnificent tombs of Charles the Bold and his daughter Mary, Maximilian's wife. Also Michael Angelo's tender & beautiful 'Virgin & Child' in the Southern aisle. The Church is full of pictures, none of pre–eminent worth. Next, we went to the Hospital of St John, which has a rare treasure of Pictures by Memling. Nothing could exceed the delicacy & charm of his compositions. Then we visited the Musée Communal, where several pictures by Jan van Eyck, Memling, & Gerard David drew the homage of our interest & admiration. Then we went on to the Beguinage [263] picturesque & restful, but the church not worth looking at. We wound up our morning's inspection by visiting the cathedral, Sint Salvator (S. Sauveur), an imposing church with five aisles, some 16th century windows in one of the eastern chapels, excellent 15th century choir stalls & above them the arms of the Knights of the Golden Fleece including Edward IV of England, many notable pictures of the earliest period of Flemish art, and a Churchwardens' Vestry full of curious antiques. We returned to the Hotel & lunched. Then we rested awhile. Our next move was a drive for an hour in & about the city. It is full of surprising vistas, but the canals, though certainly adding much to its beauty, are unsavoury, &, I should suppose, also unhealthy. On our way we took several photographs, & stopped to see divers objects of interest, e.g. the Église de Jerusalem, very curious & shown by a quaint old dame, the Chapelle du Sant Sang, a two–storied church, filled with modern glass & curiosities, & the Hotel de Ville, fine but gaudily restored. Then we had tea in the Grand Place, to the accompaniment of chimes from the great Belfry. This is a dominating factor in every view of the City, and makes the day musical from morning till nightfall. This completed our afternoon expedition, & we returned to the Hotel.