by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Church of Our Lady of Laeken; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Built during the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium, which this writer has visited, is the burial church of the Belgian royal family, built in memory of Queen Louise-Marie, the second wife of Belgium’s first king Leopold I, King of the Belgians.

Belgium has been a country only since 1830. In August 1830, the southern provinces (modern-day Belgium) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands rebelled against Dutch rule. International powers meeting in London agreed to support the independence of Belgium, even though the Dutch refused to recognize the new country. On April 22, 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the uncle of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was asked by the Belgian National Congress if he wanted to be king of the new country. Leopold swore allegiance to the new Belgian constitution on July 21, 1831, and became the first King of the Belgians. Under the Belgian Constitution, the Belgian monarch is styled “King/Queen of the Belgians” to reflect that the monarch is “of the Belgian people.”

Although the Belgian royal family is Roman Catholic, Leopold I was born a Lutheran and remained a Lutheran for his entire life. Before Leopold became King of the Belgians, he was first married to Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only child of King George IV of the United Kingdom, who tragically died in childbirth along with her son. Charlotte, who most likely would have been Queen of the United Kingdom,  and her son are buried at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England.

No family burial site had been planned for the members of the new Belgian royal family. When King Leopold I’s infant son Crown Prince Louis Philippe died suddenly in 1834, he was buried at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula out of necessity.

Queen Louise-Marie, born Princess Louise-Marie of Orléans, predeceased her husband King Leopold I, dying of tuberculosis at age 38 in 1850. She wanted to be buried in the old Church of Our Lady of Laeken built in 1275  and her remains were buried there. To honor the memory of his wife, Leopold I, King of the Belgians conceived the idea of a new and larger church at Laeken. There has been a house of worship on this site since around 800.  In 1275, the original chapel was replaced by a church in the Gothic style called the Church of Our Lady of Laeken.

By royal decree on October 14, 1850, the government authorized the construction of the new church and organized a competition for the design of the new church. There were only two stipulations for the design, the church should be able to hold 2,000 people and its price should not exceed 800,000 francs. In 1852, the jury decided upon a neo-gothic design by Joseph Poelaert, a 34-year-old architect.  The German architect Friedrich von Schmidt designed the portal and the 99-meter-high tower.

The choir of the old Church of Our Lady of Laeken, now a chapel, in the center in the Laeken Cemetery; Credit – Par EmDee — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48239336

King Leopold I laid the foundation stone for the new church in 1854 and in 1872 the church was consecrated but it was not fully completed until 1909 because of a long interruption of work. In 1894, the old church was demolished due to its state of disrepair. However, the choir of the old church was preserved and has survived as a chapel in the center of the adjacent Laeken Cemetery.

Both Louise-Marie who died in 1850 and Leopold who died in 1865 were first buried at the old Church of Our Lady of Laeken.  On April 20, 1876, their remains were interred in the royal crypt at the new Church of Our Lady of Laeken. All the monarchs, all their consorts, and some other members of the Belgian royal family have been buried at the neo-gothic Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium, the burial church of the Belgian royal family, built in memory of Queen Louise-Marie, the second wife of Belgium’s first king Leopold I.

• The Belgian Monarchy: Royal Crypt in Laeken

Interior of the Church of Our Lady of Laeken; Photo © – Susan Flantzer

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Royal Burials

Entrance to the Royal Crypt; Photo © Susan Flantzer

The crypt is located under the main altar. Two staircases on either side behind the main altar lead down to the crypt. At the foot of the stairs, just in front of the carved oak doors of the entrance to the crypt, is a mosaic depicting the nine coats of arms of the Belgian provinces.

Tomb of Leopold I, King of the Belgians and Queen Louise-Marie; Credit – Door Michel wal – Eigen werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7758486

In the center of the crypt is the large, white tomb of Leopold I, King of the Belgians and his second wife Queen Louise-Marie, topped by a royal crown with four mourning figures draped in black at the four corners.

Royal Crypt; Credit – Wikipedia

Surrounding the tomb of Leopold I and Louise-Marie are the tombs of Leopold I’s successors and their spouses. The niches in the wall house the coffins of other members of the royal family, such as Prince Charles, Duke of Flanders, Regent of Belgium, and other princes and princesses. A very nice touch that this writer observed was the framed photographs on the tombs.

Tomb of King Leopold III of Belgium, his first wife Queen Astrid, and his second wife Princess Lilian with their framed photos; Credit – www.findagrave.com

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Graves of (left to right) Crown Prince Louis Philippe, Empress Carlota of Mexico who was born Princess Charlotte of Belgium, and Prince Leopold of Liechtenstein with empty grave niches awaiting burials in the crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken; Credit – www.findagrave.com

The management of the burial crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken is under the direct authority of the Belgian monarch who manages the burial crypt on behalf of the members of the Belgian royal family. The Belgian government has no authority over the burial crypt. The Belgian monarch decides who will be allowed burial in the royal crypt and where they will be buried.

In 1927, Albert I, King of the Belgians allowed the burial of his aunt Empress Carlota of Mexico in the royal crypt. Empress Carlota was born Princess Charlotte of Belgium, the daughter of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, and the wife of Archduke Maximilian of Austria, who, as the ill-fated Emperor of Mexico, was executed by a firing squad. Under the laws of the Austrian House of Habsburg, Empress Carlota was to be buried in the Imperial Crypt in Vienna, Austria.

Although the tombs are designed for two remains, the tomb of King Leopold III contains three remains. King Leopold III ordered that his second wife Princess Lilian would be buried in his tomb upon her death, and this order was carried out by his son Albert II, King of the Belgians.

Baudouin, King of the Belgians allowed Prince Leopold of Liechtenstein, stillborn on May 20, 1984, in Brussels, Belgium, the son of his niece Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and her husband Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein, to be buried in the royal crypt although he was not a member of the Belgian royal family. 

The following are interred in the royal crypt at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken. Note that Leopold III was styled as Leopold III, King of the Belgians from 1934 – 1951. After his abdication in 1951, he was styled King Leopold III of Belgium and that is how he is referred to below.

• 1869: Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant – eldest son and heir of Leopold II, King of the Belgians, fell into a pond, caught pneumonia, and died at age nine
• 1871: Princess Joséphine Marie of Belgium – infant daughter of Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders
• 1891: Prince Baudouin of Belgium – eldest son of Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, was a potential King of the Belgians because his uncle Leopold II, King of the Belgians had no sons, died from influenza at age 21
• 1876 (buried): Louise-Marie of Orléans, Queen Consort of the Belgians – the second wife of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, died 1850, originally buried at the old Church of Our Lady of Laeken, transferred to the new church in 1876
• 1876 (buried): Leopold I, King of the Belgians – died 1865, originally buried at the old Church of Our Lady of Laeken, transferred to the new church in 1876
• 1902: Marie Henriette of Austria, Queen Consort of the Belgians – wife of Leopold II, King of the Belgians
• 1905: Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders – son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, Philippe is an ancestor of the current Belgian royal family as his son succeeded to the Belgian throne as Albert I, King of the Belgians
• 1909: Leopold II, King of the Belgians – son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians
• 1912: Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders – wife of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, Marie is an ancestor of the current Belgian royal family as her son succeeded to the Belgian throne as Albert I, King of the Belgians
• 1927: Princess Charlotte of Belgium, Empress Carlota of Mexico – daughter of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, wife of Archduke Maximilian of Austria, Emperor Maximilian of Mexico
• 1934: Albert I, King of the Belgians – son of Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, killed in a mountain climbing accident
• 1935: Astrid of Sweden, Queen Consort of the Belgians – first wife of King Leopold III of Belgium, killed in a car accident
• 1965: Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen Consort of the Belgians – wife of Albert I, King of the Belgians
• 1983: Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, Regent of Belgium, son of Albert I, King of the Belgians
• 1983: King Leopold III of Belgium – son of Albert I, King of the Belgians, abdicated in 1951
• 1984 – Prince Leopold of Liechtenstein (stillborn May 20, 1984) – grandson of Grand Duchess Joséphine Charlotte of Luxembourg who was born a Princess of Belgium, son of Princess Margaretha of Luxembourg and Prince Nikolaus of Liechtenstein
• 1993 (buried): Louis Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium – the infant son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, died before his first birthday. He was originally buried at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula. In 1993, during the restoration of the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, Louis Philippe’s remains were transferred to the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, the burial church of the Belgian royal family where they were buried in a side chapel of the crypt.
• 1993: Baudouin, King of the Belgians – son of King Leopold III of Belgium and his first wife Queen Astrid
• 2002: Mary Lilian Baels, Princess Lilian, Princess de Réthy – second wife of King Leopold III of Belgium
• 2009: Prince Alexandre of Belgium – son of King Leopold III of Belgium and his second wife Princess Lilian, his funeral was also at the Church of Our Lady of Laeken
• 2014: Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, Queen Consort of the Belgians – wife of Baudouin, King of the Belgians

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Church of Our Lady of Laeken – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady_of_Laeken> [Accessed 19 July 2021].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2012. Belgian Royal Burial Sites. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-burial-sites/belgian-royal-burial-sites/> [Accessed 19 July 2021].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2021. Église Notre-Dame de Laeken — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89glise_Notre-Dame_de_Laeken> [Accessed 19 July 2021].
• Nl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Laken) – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk_(Laken)> [Accessed 19 July 2021].
• The Belgian Monarchy. 2021. Royal Crypt in Laeken | The Belgian Monarchy. [online] Available at: <https://www.monarchie.be/en/heritage/royal-crypt-in-laeken> [Accessed 19 July 2021].
• Unofficial Royalty. 2021. Kingdom of Belgium Index. [online] Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/royal-articles-index/belgian-royals-index/> [Accessed 19 July 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg; Credit – By EmDee – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17166498

The Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg is a Roman Catholic church in the Place Royale, a historic square near the center of Brussels, Belgium. It is named for Saint James the Greater, one of the twelve Apostles, who is styled “the Greater” to distinguish him from another Apostle, James “the Less”, with greater meaning older or taller, rather than more important.

It is the church with the first connection to the Belgian royal family. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, stood on the cathedral steps when he took the oath that made him Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians on July 21, 1831. Since the reign of Albert I, King of the Belgians, most baptisms of monarchs’ children have occurred at the Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg. However, the christenings of the children of Philippe, King of the Belgians all took place in the chapel at Ciergnon Castle in Houyet, Namur, Belgium, one of the favorite summer residences of the Belgian royal family. Several funerals for members of the Belgian royal family have also taken place at the Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg. Located close to the Royal Palace of Brussels, the cathedral is the parish church of the Royal Palace.

The interior of the Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg; Credit – By IDD5000 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20251585

Originally the Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg Abbey, an Augustinian abbey, was on the site of the present cathedral. During the development of the Place Royale between 1776 and 1781, the abbey was demolished and the Cathedral of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg was built. Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, laid the cornerstone on February 12, 1776. The Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg was the official church of the court of the Governors of the Habsburg Netherlands and served as an abbey church and a parish church.

• Official Website: Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (in French)

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July 21, 1831: The Constitutional Oath of Leopold I, King of the Belgians

Leopold I, King of the Belgians takes the constitutional oath on the steps of the Cathedral of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg; Credit – Wikipedia

Belgium has been a country only since 1830. In August 1830, the southern provinces (modern-day Belgium) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands rebelled against Dutch rule. International powers meeting in London agreed to support the independence of Belgium, even though the Dutch refused to recognize the new country. On April 22, 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the uncle of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was asked by the Belgian National Congress if he wanted to be king of the new country. Leopold swore allegiance to the new Belgian constitution on July 21, 1831, and became the first King of the Belgians. Each year July 21 is celebrated as Belgian National Day.

The accession ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg. A stand was erected on the cathedral steps surrounded by the names of revolutionaries who died in the Belgian Revolution. After remarks from government leaders and the reading of the entire Belgian Constitution, Leopold, dressed in the uniform of a Belgian lieutenant-general, took the constitutional oath, as stated at the time in Article 80 of the Belgian Constitution, in French: “Je jure d’observer la constitution et les lois du peuple belge, the maintenir l’indépendance nationale et l’intégrité du territoire.” (Translation: “I swear that I will abide by the Constitution and the laws of the Belgian people, maintain the country’s independence and preserve the integrity of the territory.”

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Royal Baptisms

The future Albert II, King of the Belgians being carried into the Cathedral of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg for his baptism. He is followed by his father Leopold III, King of the Belgians and mother Queen Astrid, his elder sister Princess Joséphine-Charlotte and elder brother Prince Baudouin

• June 7, 1902: Prince Leopold, later Leopold III, King of the Belgians, son of Albert I, King of the Belgians
• 1903: Prince Charles, later Count of Flanders, Prince Regent, son of Albert I, King of the Belgians
• 1906: Princess Marie José of Belgium, later Queen Consort of Italy, daughter of Albert I, King of the Belgians
• 1927: Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, later Grand Duchess Consort of Luxembourg, daughter of Leopold III, King of the Belgians
• October 11, 1930: Prince Baudouin of Belgium, later Baudouin, King of the Belgians, son of Leopold III, King of the Belgians
• June 28, 1934: Prince Albert of Belgium, later Albert II, King of the Belgians, son of Leopold III, King of the Belgians
• May 17, 1960: Prince Philippe, later Philippe, King of the Belgians, son of Albert II, King of the Belgians
• June 21, 1962: Princess Astrid of Belgium, daughter of Albert II, King of the Belgians

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Royal Funerals

The coffin of King Leopold III of Belgium leaving the Cathedral of Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg; Credit – https://royalwatcherblog.com/2018/10/06/funeral-of-king-leopold-iii-of-belgium-1983/

• 1905: Prince Philippe of Belgium, Count of Flanders, father of the future Albert I, King of the Belgians
• 1912: Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders, mother of the future Albert I, King of the Belgians
• June 7, 1983: Prince Charles, Count of Flanders, Regent of Belgium from 1944 – 1950
• October 1, 1983: King Leopold III of Belgium, abdicated 1951, styled as King Leopold III of Belgium after his abdication

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This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

• En.wikipedia.org. 2021. Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg> [Accessed 18 July 2021].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2021. Cathédrale Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cath%C3%A9drale_Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg> [Accessed 18 July 2021].
• Nl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Intrede van Leopold I in België – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrede_van_Leopold_I_in_Belgi%C3%AB> [Accessed 18 July 2021].
• Nl.wikipedia.org. 2021. Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sint-Jacob-op-Koudenberg> [Accessed 18 July 2021].
• Paroisse-militaire-saint-jacques-sur-coudenberg.be. 2021. Eglise Saint-Jacques-sur-Coudenberg | Paroisse royale – Cathédrale du diocèse aux forces armées. [online] Available at: <https://paroisse-militaire-saint-jacques-sur-coudenberg.be/fr/accueil/> [Accessed 18 July 2021].

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2021

Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula; Credit – By I, Luc Viatour, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4789498

While the construction of the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula, a Roman Catholic Church in Brussels, Belgium, which this writer has visited, began in 1226, its connection with the Kingdom of Belgium is short because Belgium has been a country only since 1830. In August 1830, the southern provinces (modern-day Belgium) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands rebelled against Dutch rule. International powers meeting in London agreed to support the independence of Belgium, even though the Dutch refused to recognize the new country. On April 22, 1831, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, the uncle of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and her husband Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, was asked by the Belgian National Congress if he wanted to be king of the new country. Leopold swore allegiance to the new Belgian constitution on July 21, 1831, and became the first King of the Belgians. Under the Belgian Constitution, the Belgian monarch is styled “King/Queen of the Belgians” to reflect that the monarch is “of the Belgian people.”

The various predecessor states of the Kingdom of Belgium whose royalty also used the cathedral will be noticed below in the listing of royal events that occurred at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula over the centuries. Before 1830, going back to the twelfth century, the predecessor states of Belgium were:

• Duchy of Brabant – a state of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the core of the historic Low Countries. It was part of the Burgundian Netherlands and the Habsburg Netherlands. Today, the title of Duke or Duchess of Brabant is the title of the heir apparent to the Belgium throne.
• Burgundian Netherlands (1384 – 1482) – Holy Roman Empire and French fiefs ruled in personal union by the Dukes of Burgundy of the House of Valois-Burgundy and later by their Habsburg heirs.
• Habsburg Netherlands (1482 – 1797) is the collective name of Renaissance period fiefs in the Low Countries held by the Holy Roman Empire’s House of Habsburg.
  • Spanish Netherlands (1556 – 1714) – was the name for the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714
  • Austrian Netherlands (1714 – 1797) – was the name for the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by Governors from the Austrian House of Habsburg. It existed from the end of the Spanish War of Succession in 1714 until the conquest by French revolutionary troops and the annexation to the French Republic in 1797.
• France (1797 – 1815) – France took over the Austrian Netherlands during the French Revolutionary Wars.
• Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815 – 1830) – After the defeat of Napoleon, Willem V, Prince of Orange, urged on by the powers who met at the Congress of Vienna, proclaimed the Netherlands a monarchy on March 16, 1815. The new United Kingdom of the Netherlands consisted of territories that had belonged to the former Dutch Republic, Austrian Netherlands, and Prince-Bishopric of Liège

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Credit – Door SMYRKINNE – Eigen werk, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16769142

• Official Website: Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula

The current Belgian royal family has used the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula for weddings and funerals but not for burials. All the monarchs, all the consorts, and some other members of the Belgian royal family have been buried at the neo-gothic Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Laeken in Brussels, Belgium. The church was built in memory of Queen Louise-Marie, wife of Belgium’s first monarch King Leopold I. Since the reign of Albert I, King of the Belgians, most royal baptisms have been held at the Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg in Brussels. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld stood on the steps Church of Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg when he took the oath that made him Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians on July 21, 1831.

Above: Statues of Saint Michael the Archangel and Saint Gudula in the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula; Credit – Wikipedia

The patron saints of the church, Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, are also the patron saints of the City of Brussels. Saint Michael is the familiar Saint Michael the Archangel. A local female saint, Saint Gudula of Brabant, was born circa 646 in Brabant in present-day Belgium and died between 680 and 714. The cathedral stands on what was Treurenberg Hill in Brussels where there was a crossroads of two important old roads – Flanders to Cologne and Antwerp to Brussels. A chapel to St. Michael was built on Treurenberg Hill in the ninth century and was replaced by a Romanesque church in the eleventh century. In 1047, Lambert II, Count of Louvain and his wife Oda of Verdun founded a canon, a community of non-monastic clergy, in honor of Saint Gudula. Lambert arranged for the relics of St. Gudula to be transferred from another church in Brussels. From that time, the church became known as the Collegiate Church of St. Michael and St. Gudula.

Interior of the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula; Photo © Susan Flantzer

In 1200, under Henri I, Duke of Brabant, the church was restored and enlarged. However, in 1226, Henri II, Duke of Brabant decided to build a new Gothic-style church. The choir was constructed between 1226 – 1276. The nave and transept date from the 14th and 16th centuries. The façade and the two towers were built from 1470 – 1485. The new church was completed in 1519. Several chapels were added in the 16th and 17th centuries. Restoration work was carried out in the 19th century and further restoration occurred from 1983 – 1999.

Detail of the painting Pastoral Instruction, showing the church with the north tower still incomplete, c. 1480; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 6, 1579, the church was pillaged by the Protestant Geuzen, a group of Calvinist Dutch nobles, and Saint Gudula’s relics were scattered and lost. In February 1962, the church was given cathedral status, and since then it has been the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels.

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Please note, the lists below may not be complete.

Royal Baptisms

The baptism of Louis-Philippe of Belgium, son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians; Credit – Wikipedia

• 1480: Margaret of Austria – daughter of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy in her own right (daughter of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy) and Maximilian of Austria, later Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
• 1498: Eleanor of Austria – daughter of Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy (son of Mary, Duchess of Burgundy and Maximilian of Austria, later Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor) and Juana I, Queen of Castile, Queen of Aragon
• 1833: Louis Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium – son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, died before his first birthday

Royal Weddings

Wedding of the future Albert II, King of the Belgians and Paola Ruffo di Calabri

• August 22, 1853: Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant (the future Leopold II, King of the Belgians) and Marie-Henriette of Austria
• November 10, 1926: Prince Leopold, Duke of Brabant (the future Leopold III, King of the Belgians) and Princess Astrid of Sweden  – Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Leopold III and Princess Astrid of Sweden
• July 2, 1959: Prince Albert, Prince of Liège (the future Albert II, King of the Belgians) and Paola Ruffo di Calabri – Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Albert II and Paola Ruffo di Calabria
• December 15, 1960: Baudouin, King of the Belgians and Fabiola de Mora y Aragón – Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Baudouin I and Fabiola de Mora y Aragón
• December 4, 1999: Prince Philippe, Duke of Brabant (the future Philippe, King of the Belgians) and Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz – Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Philippe and Mathilde d’Udekem d’Acoz
• April 12, 2003: Prince Laurent of Belgium and Claire Coombs

Royal Funerals

The royal families of Belgium and Luxembourg pray during the funeral mass for Baudouin, King of the Belgians. From left to right: Prince Laurent of Belgium, Prince Philippe of Belgium, Queen Paola of the Belgians, Baudouin’s brother King Albert II of the Belgians, Baudouin’s widow Queen Fabiola in white, Baudouin’s sister Grand Duchess Joséphine-Charlotte of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean of Luxembourg, and Princess Astrid of Belgium

• 1312: Jean II, Duke of Brabant
• 1333: Margaret of England, Duchess of Brabant – wife of Jean II, Duke of Brabant, daughter of Edward I, King of England
• 1446: Catherine of France, Countess of Charolais – first wife of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, daughter of Charles VII, King of France
• 1595: Archduke Ernst of Austria – son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
• 1621: Albrecht VII, Archduke of Austria – Governor of the Spanish Netherlands
• 1745: Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria – Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, wife of Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine
• 1780: Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine – Governor of the Austrian Netherlands
• February 22, 1934: Albert I, King of Belgians – fell to his death in a mountain climbing accident
• September 3, 1935: Astrid, Queen of the Belgians – born Princess Astrid of Sweden, wife of Leopold III, King of the Belgians, killed in a car accident
• November 30, 1965: Elisabeth, Queen of the Belgians – born Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria, wife of Albert I, King of the Belgians
• August 7, 1993: Baudouin I, King of the Belgians
• December 12, 2014: Fabiola, Queen of the Belgians – born Fabiola de Mora y Aragón, wife of Baudouin I, King of the Belgians

Royal Burials

Tomb of Archduke Ernst of Austria; Credit – By PMRMaeyaert – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17308156

• 1312: Jean II, Duke of Brabant
• 1318: Margaret of England, Duchess of Brabant – wife of Jean II, Duke of Brabant, daughter of Edward I, King of England
• 1446: Catherine of France, Countess of Charolais – first wife of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, daughter of Charles VII, King of France
• 1595: Archduke Ernst of Austria – son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor
• 1621: Albrecht VII, Archduke of Austria – Governor of the Spanish Netherlands
• 1650: Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain, Archduchess of Austria – Governor of the Spanish Netherlands, wife of Albrecht VII, Archduke of Austria, daughter of Felipe II, King of Spain (reinterred seventeen years after her death)
• 1780: Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine – Governor of the Austrian Netherlands
• 1834: Louis Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium – infant son of Leopold I, King of the Belgians, died before his first birthday. In 1993, during the restoration of the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula, Crown Prince Louis Philippe’s remains were transferred to the Church of Our Lady of Laeken, the burial church of the Belgian royal family where they were buried in a side chapel of the crypt.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Cathedralisbruxellensis.be. 2021. Brussels Cathedral | Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. [online] Available at: <https://www.cathedralisbruxellensis.be/en/> [Accessed 17 July 2021].
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