Thoughts of Brussels

1992 - Brussels Belgium

In light of the horrific events this week that hit Brussels I went back to look at our photos taken in 1992!! Remember these are pre-digital!!!

We only spent three days wandering around but what stands out in my mind was the Grand'Palace where the flowers markets are held.

Manneken Pis, meaning "Little man Pee" in Dutch) is a landmark small bronze sculpture (61 cm), depicting a naked little boy urinating into a fountain's basin. It was designed by Hiëronymus Duquesnoy the Elder and put in place in 1618 or 1619.

A chapel dedicated to St. Michael was probably built on the Treurenberg hill as early as the 9th century. In the 11th century it was replaced by a Romanesque church. In 1047, Lambert II, Count of Leuven founded a chapter in this church and organized the transportation of the relics of the martyr St. Gudula, housed before then in Saint Gaugericus Church on Saint-Géry Island. The patron saints of the church, St. Michael and St. Gudula, are also the patron saints of the city of Brussels.

inSPIREd Sunday

Sally hosts inSPIREd Sunday!

1992 - Brussels Belgium



The Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula (French: Co-Cathédrale collégiale des Ss-Michel et Gudule, Dutch: Collegiale Sint-Michiels- en Sint-Goedele-co-kathedraal) is a Roman Catholic church at the Treurenberg Hill in Brussels, Belgium. It serves as the co-cathedral of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels.

This photo was taken pre-digital and is a scanned copy.

In 1047, Lambert II, Count of Leuven founded a chapter in this church and organized the transportation of the relics of Saint Gudula, housed before then in Saint Gaugericus Church on Saint-Géry Island. The patron saints of the church, archangel St. Michael and the martyr St. Gudula, are also the patron saints of the city of Brussels. In the thirteenth century, the cathedral was renovated in the Gothic style. The choir was constructed between 1226 and 1276. The façade was completed in the mid-fifteenth century.

Monday's Child - Brussels

Upon arrival in Brussels the first attraction you are shown is the Manneken Pis (little pee man in Flemish). Located close to the Grand Place on rue de l’Etuve 31 (Lievevrouwbroersstraat 31, 1000 Brussels, Belgium) he stands at just 61cm (24 inches). The peeing boy is a tiny bronze fountain statue. One would not normally call this art piece ‘majestic’, but the locals have so many stories and ways of celebrating festivals with the little peeing boy that even the toughest critic would leave with fondness for the bronze doll.



Stories of Manneken Pis

Many great legends bring this little statue to life in the hearts of visitors, and the question is why was this statue erected? One story tells of a tourist father who lost his son in the city and after receiving help from villagers to find the boy, he gifted this statue to them. Another, more daring, tale is one where the boy was a spy during a siege of the city. He literally put out a ploy to bomb the city by urinating on the explosives! Many stories such as this have given the Mannekin Pis a firm place in Brussels’ city-life but none would compete with its present-day glory.

Celebrations with the Manneken Pis

The people of Brussels don’t simply look upon the cute statuette and show it to tourists. The Manneken Pis plays a full part in the city’s annual calendar and even has an outfit for every occasion. Manneken Pis’ wardrobe ranges from Santa suits to national costumes from countries around the world. The most recent addition is a red leather Chinese costume presented by the city of Haining, China. On special occasions, brass-bands would play and Manneken Pis would be hooked up to different flavours of Belgian beer, which is poured from his fountain tip and given out to the public. With such love and care for the Manneken, who needs Big Ben?