Art in the Metro and
the Basilique Nationale du Sacre Coeur
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| TOUR OF BRUSSELS: Art in the Metro and the Basilique Nationale du Sacre Coeur |
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| Laura got to go on a tour to the National Basilica, which also included viewing some of the public art in the Metro. The mural to the left was done by a communist artist to illustrate the massacres by Pinochet in Chile. The above paintings are meant to inspire hope at a station that serves a hospital. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Basilica: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A statue of a famous Belgian priest who went to Hawaii to care for lepers. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The National Basilica is located in Koekelberg (in the northern part of Brussels). It is the 5th longest church in the world at 141 meters. It was begun in 1905, but the World Wars delayed the construction. Construction ended with the completion of the cuppola in 1970, however there are still unfinished parts, including the porch. It was originally designed to be neo-gothic, but that changed with time and in the twenties it was redesigned to be neo-byzantine. It is quite modern looking, and quite a contrast from many of the other churches seen in Europe. Materials used were marble, bronze or copper (much from the former Belgian colony, the Congo), but most of the building is made up of terracotta bricks filled with concrete. They give a soft, mellow texture and color to the Basilica. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The window below was donated by survivors of the concentration camps from World War II. There are several windows donated by such groups. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Click to see: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - index/homepage | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - Rome | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - adventures in Gent | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - Cologne | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - Paris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - our daily life. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - tours of Brussels. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| - Braine L'Alleud | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||