Come see me. A center for visitors to St. Bavo's Cathedral opens in Ghent

In order.

The family of the mayordom, that is, the senior dignitary of the Frankish kingdom, Pippin of Landen, consisted entirely of saints, and in the literal sense of the word. His wife is St. Iduberga, his daughters are St. Begga of Andes and Gertrude of Nivel, his sons are St. Bavon and Grimoald, the only one of the children who followed in his father's footsteps. St. Bavon was named Allovin from birth and is remembered as a person with rather flexible moral principles, prone to debauchery and meanness.

The death of his wife changed him, he changed his name and lifestyle, gave away his property, began to travel and preach. Bavon lived in the hollow of a tree. Later, when he had already built an abbey near Ghent, he moved there. The date of his birth is unknown, but everyone knew the day of his death — October 1: taxes were paid on this day, so the saint was often depicted with a purse in his hands. Saint Bavon is honored by both Catholic and Orthodox churches. He became the main defender of Ghent and all of Belgium.

According to the number of attractions, Ghent in Belgium ranks second after Antwerp

Yes, Ghent cannot be called a big city. Although in the Middle Ages it was second only to Paris: the prosperity of Ghent was ensured by craftsmen who wove first-class cloth from British wool. Later in Europe, they began to appreciate the lace of local masters. And where there is money, there is architecture. Where there is architecture, there are artists. In terms of the number of attractions, Ghent in Belgium ranks second after Antwerp, and both cities left far behind the capital of the state, Brussels. But the main national value of Belgium was the Ghent Cathedral of St. Bavo.

The remains of the wooden chapel of John the Baptist, which stood on the same place, and the Brabant Gothic embodied in the new cathedral, and the 295 years during which it was built, which, however, was not uncommon by the standards of that time, make it so. There was no hurry. "My client has a lot of time", - this is how Antonio Gaudi would explain his own "long-term construction" much later and in another country. There is also an altar made by the van Eyck brothers in the chapel of Jos Wade of the Ghent Cathedral.

The altar is of interest not only to connoisseurs of the Northern Renaissance, but also to lovers of solving historical charades and fans of detective stories. What is worth at least the fact that the "Righteous Judges" sash stolen on the night of April 10-11, 1934 was never found. Periodically, the city becomes feverish with new evidence of her whereabouts — and everyone joins the search for her anew.

The altarpiece was written for Jos Wade's chapel. In the fall, it will be moved to the Chapel of the Holy Communion

The monumental work was started (perhaps) by Hubert van Eyck, Jan's older brother. Evidence of this is the inscription on the altar, which directly calls him "the greatest of the great." After his brother's death, the work was continued by Jan van Eyck, "the second in art," as the same inscription describes him. 3 figures are depicted on the winged altar, the dimensions of which are 5,5 m high and 258 m wide when opened. On the 12 exterior parts of the altar, there are portraits of Jos Wade, who ordered the altar, his wife, images of marble statues of John the Baptist and John the Theologian, the scene of the Annunciation, the cityscape of Ghent, as well as figures of prophets and prophetesses who predicted the coming of Christ.

The cathedral building was and remains the center of the spiritual life of the city

The central part of the 12 interior compositions is occupied by the scene of worship of the Lamb, a symbol of Christ. On it are God the Father, the Mother of God, John the Baptist, angels, Adam and Eve. Below are the same righteous judges, pilgrims and hermits who have disappeared. During the restoration, it turned out that 50% of the surface of the inner wings and 70% of the outer ones were not simply restored, but rewritten in the middle of the XNUMXth century. The altar, no matter how silly it sounds, was also an advertisement for Ghent and its weaving industry.

Van Eyck subtly conveyed all the shades and quality of fabrics that the city was famous for and in which he clothed the heroes of the altarpiece. During the restoration, these luxurious materials were simplified. However, the main discovery of modern researchers did not concern cloth at all. The public, those for whom the altar is a sacred symbol, those fascinated by the art of the Middle Ages and art in general, as well as those who are no strangers to humanism as such, were stunned by the discovery of the "Lamb" after the restoration.

As it turned out, van Eyck interpreted his face in a similar way to a human face - it shows the understanding and acceptance of his sacrificial fate. The artist who copied the face of the Lamb gave it the characteristic features of the animal. The magic disappeared, and van Eyck's humanistic message was forgotten for five long centuries.

The restoration, which was carried out by the Royal Institute of Historical Heritage with the support of experts from around the world, returned "Agntseva" to its true appearance. Legions of visitors from all over the world are expected to flock to the Ghent Altar, which before the restoration was the target of crowds of pilgrims of various faiths and interests. And this will undoubtedly become a problem for those believers who, despite the hype, treat St. Bavo's Cathedral as a religious institution.

The restoration returned "Agntseva" to its true appearance

The cathedral is currently opening its doors to artists with the Van Eyck Year exhibition The Return of the Lamb by Lis Kyers and Sophie Kuiken, who have dedicated their work to the return of the restored lower altar wings to the cathedral. And on the square in front of the shrine there is an installation by the sculptor Chris Martin, which is a structure that repeats the shape of the frame of the original van Eyck altar.

However, such democracy and acceptance of the work of modern artists does not mean that the main function of the cathedral has been forgotten. On the contrary, the works of modern artists exhibited in it only emphasize that the building was and remains the center of the spiritual life of the city.

The cathedral hosts the Jan van Eyck year-long exhibition "The Return of the Lamb" by Lis Kyers and Sophie Kuiken

The architectural practice of Bressers Architects is managed by representatives of the fifth generation of the Bresser family. In 1855, the artist Adrian Hubert Bresser opened a studio where he created interior details in the neo-Gothic style. All representatives of the family have a huge experience of working with historical heritage, and therefore the bureau was entrusted with the difficult task of designing a building for visitors to the Ghent treasure. The architects understood that both the cathedral itself and the altar should retain their sacred purpose.

The Ghent Museum of Fine Arts organized a retrospective of the works of Jan van Eyck

From the beginning, the altar was located in the Wade chapel in the cathedral, from where it was moved closer to the entrance in the 80s of the last century, so that tourists would not disturb the faithful. Nevertheless, both of these locations were not ideal — there is not a favorable enough microclimate for painting. They decided to install the masterpiece in the far eastern part of the apse, namely in the chapel of the Holy Communion. And when the question about the new location of the altar was closed, two new ones arose - how to avoid the transformation of the cathedral exclusively into a showcase for the altar and how to allow everyone without exception to see it? "Everyone without exception" meant both parents with baby carriages and people with disabilities.

The architects understood that both the cathedral itself and the altar should retain their sacred purpose

There was no question of erecting elevators or ramps inside the medieval cathedral. It was decided to build the external structure of the Visitor Center, which, thanks to the elevator and stairs, will allow everyone to see the altar.

Philipp Depotter, architect and owner of Bressers Architects, describes the project as follows: "We were guided by four principles - "less is more"; the concept of space continuity; integration; confrontation The first principle was implemented by developing a minimalist design with maximum respect for the old architecture. Intervention in her body will be carried out only where it is really necessary. The concept of continuity is expressed in the single architectural language of the new and old buildings. The new materials are identical to those used in the cathedral, and ensure the integration of the modern structure with the historical building. And by confrontation, we understand modern architecture that opposes Gothic and emphasizes it."

The materials used for the Ghent Cathedral Visitor Center include glass, wood, brass and copper. Altars, stained glass frames, and candlesticks were made of them in the old building, and stairs, handrails, and columns were made in the new building. The modern building will also have an educational function - there will be an exposition dedicated to the history of the altar and restoration works, and augmented reality technologies will help to delve deeper into the secrets of the masterpiece even before visitors see it with their own eyes.

Van Eyck is called a master of optical illusions. One of the brightest is on the door of the altar with the image of Adam. It seems that he is ready to leave the painting space by stepping over the frame. So our whole life consists of steps - towards each other. And the most important of them are those that we carry out in the direction of the one who cannot walk on his own.