St James’ Church

Ghent is a city on a human scale, giving you access to hundreds of monuments in an area the size of a handkerchief. You can stroll on foot from the cathedral via the belfry to one of the many monumental churches. St James’ Church is one of the few churches to combine Romanesque and Baroque architecture: a truly unique location.

St James’ Church has always been a dynamic meeting place for pilgrims, local residents and casual passersby. This diverse character is also reflected in its appearance. The seemingly insatiable urge to build and rebuild gave the church its present shape, making it a unique witness to nearly 900 years of ecclesiastical architecture in Ghent.

This triptych represents the three most significant moments in Christ's life: his birth, martyrdom on the cross between two murderers and resurrection two days later. Michiel Coxcie, one of the painters who brought the Italian Renaissance to the Southern Netherlands, painted the Crucifixion in 1579. He portrayed the abbot and represented the risen Christ. The scenes on the front of the side panels were painted much later by Jan van Cleef.