Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai
The building of the Cathedral of Tournai lasted from 1146 until 1325. At first, a Romanesque cathedral was built because Tournai had become seat of a bishopry. The main nave of the present cathedral was constructed during that period.
Later on, the architects became more influenced by the then fashionable Gothic style. This can be seen in the 5 towers and the choir.
Cathedrals .
Visit May 2003
 |
Election Day in Belgium. While listening to my car radio I noticed some remarkable differences between the voting here and in my home country Holland. For example: you can only vote between 8 am and 1 pm on Sunday (you get 2 hours extra when your voting station uses computers). This obviously leads to long queues (1-2 hours!) at some places, even more so because voting is obligatory.
Back to the subject of this website: I was a bit unsure of my goal of today, the Cathedral of Tournai. Various websites state that it is undergoing repair works, for a very long time. But the cathedral has reopened for visitors, though construction works are still going on. The Gothic part is still hidden beneath covers and behind bars.
The robust exterior of this Cathedral dominates the center of this old town. It always amazes me to see such landmark buildings in relative small cities (it reminded me of of Speyer in Germany). But there were times when Tournai was an important place in the western-european world...
Reviews
Ian Cade (England):
 The cathedral is right in the centre of town and can be seen from most places. It is a fine example of Romanesque architecture. I was impressed by the design it is not as lavish as many other European cathedrals, but it is still quite striking. Unfortunately it was closed when I visited so I did not get chance to look inside. There were some renovations continuing on one part outside but it seems that the major restoration is nearing completion after the towers were hit by a tornado! in 1999. Of the façade the Porte Mantile archway was impressive if a little weather/ pollution warn
The town of Tournai was quite pretty and very quiet. At the end of la Grand Place about fifty metres from the cathedral is the Belfry which is part of the Belfries of Belgium and France WHS, and this is excellent, the exhibits inside give a great introduction to what these towers represent, it also gives the best views of the cathedral (see picture!).
Tournai is easy to reach from Brussels 1h or Lille 25min, and is close to two more WHS Spieness Flint mines and Le Canal du Centre. It is worth a trip if you are in the area! |
| Date posted: October 2005 |
Have you been to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai? Share your experiences!
Add your own review
