EUROPEAN CATHEDRALS: BASILICA OF THE SACRED HEART, BRUSSELS

THE HISTORY OF THIS BUILDING BEGAN IN 1880 DURING THE WHEN KING LEOPOLD II WANTED TO TRANSFORM THIS AREA OF THE CITY INTO A ROYAL DISTRICT. HE DIDN'T GET A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR HIS IDEA BUT HE MUST HAVE BEEN A GOOD SALESMAN. HE WAS FASCINATED WITH THE SACRE COEUR IN MONTMARTRE - A CHURCH LOCATED IN PARIS. SO THE ORIGINAL DESIGN WAS MUCH LIKE MANY OF THE NEO-GOTHIC DESIGNS THAT I HAVE SEEN IN EUROPE.

KING LEOPOLD II STARTED HIS PLANS FOR THIS "TEMPLE OF GOD" ON THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF BELGIUM'S INDEPENDENCE IN 1880 - BY THE TIME HE HELPED TO LAY THE FIRST STONE IT WAS THE 75th ANNIVERSARY IN 1905. DESIGNS WERE MADE BUT WITH DEPLETED FINANCES THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNS WERE COMPLETED OVERHAULED AFTER WORLD WAR I. THE NEW ARCHITECT FROM GENT, BELGIUM SPENT 3 YEARS BUILDING A MODEL OF HIS NEW DESIGN. WITH CONSTRUCTION HALTED A SECOND TIME DURING WORLD WAR II, THE BASILICA ITSELF WASN'T COMPLETED UNTIL 1969.

THE NATIONAL BASILICA OF THE SACRED HEART IS THE 5TH LARGEST CHURCH IN THE WORLD. THE DOME REACHES A HEIGHT OF 90 METERS. THE TWO TOWERS HOUSE 5 BELLS; NAMED, ULRICH, GABRIELLE, THE BELL OF PEACE, ISIDORUS-MARIA AND JOSEPH.

YOU CAN REALLY SEE THE ART DECO DEIGN OF THIS BUILDING. SUCH A BIG DEPARTURE FROM MOT OF THE CATHEDRALS I HAVE VISITED IN EUROPE.

I LOVE THESE CLASSIC DOORS.

FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON THEY HAVE A 6 WEEK LONG DISPLAY OF ALL THINGS CHRISTMAS; THESE FIGURES, NATIVITIES, CHRISTMAS TREES, ARTWORK; THE LAST DAY OF THE PROGRAM WAS THE DAY BEFORE I VISITED THE CHURCH SO THEY WERE IN THE MIDST OF DISMANTLING

THEY ALSO HAD A COLLECTION OF ABOUT 75 NATIVITY SCENES WHICH RANGED FROM ONES THAT LOOKED LIKE THEY WERE MADE BY KIDS TO ELABORATE SCENES.

THIS IS A HUGE AND DETAILED DIORAMA OF BETHLEHEM.

I BELIEVE THIS IS THE SCALE MODEL BUILT BY THE ARCHITECT. I WISH I HAD SOMETHING TO GIVE IT SOME SCALE BUT TRUST ME IT WAS QUITE LARGE.

YOU CAN CLIMB UP THE DOME. I WAS A LITTLE TENTATIVE AS I LOOKED UP AT THE HEIGHT OF THE DOME FROM INSIDE THE CHURCH BUT I TOOK A DEEP BREATH AND STARTED TO CLIMB THE STAIRS. IT WAS QUITE A CLIMB AND LITERALLY I WAS THE ONLY ONE WONDERING AROUND THE CHURCH EXCEPT FOR THE WORKERS DISMANTLING THE CHRISTMAS DISPLAYS. BUT ONCE I GOT OUTSIDE THE DOME IT WAS WORTH THE TIRING CLIMB.