In September, Princess Maria Laura of Belgium married William Isvy at the historic Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels, with the whole Belgian Royal Family in attendance. It was just the latest royal wedding in Belgium to be held in the famous venue.
The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula was built in the Brabantine Gothic style and is dedicated to both of the patron saints of Brussels. Standing on the intersection of two major medieval trade routes, the first church on the spot was built in the 8\9th century. However, in the 11th century, the smaller chapel was replaced by a Romanesque church, and over the next 300 years, towers, a choir, and a nave and transept were also added. Work was completed in 1519.
In the mid-eighteenth century, the cathedral was sacked by Protestants, with St. Gudula’s relics removed and scattered elsewhere. Then, in 1790, the structure was a victim of the French Revolution and was looted and largely destroyed.
It was not until 1936 that the cathedral’s prospects started looking up. It was designated a historic monument in March of that year, and significant restoration work on the cathedral was done between 1983 and 1999.
The Belgian Royal Family has had several weddings and christenings at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. For example, King Baudouin of the Belgians married Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, a Spanish noblewoman, in 1960 at the cathedral, and the then-Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant, married Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz there in 1999.
