Basilica of the Holy Blood, Bruges

While the church is primarily known for its Reliquary, the lower Romanesque church dates from the 12th Century and is Bruges oldest building. It is entered through a separate door and easily missed.

The upper chapel has been heavily restored in the Neo-Gothic fashion. It contains a medieval relic, which is brought out every Friday to be gazed upon. Inside the medieval reliquary are a few drops of blood, which were brought to Bruges by Count Thierry d’ Alsace, who had been convinced this was the blood of Christ while he was on Crusade.

This sacred reliquary was originally housed in the chapel of St. Basil, until it was moved into the Romanesque church that was built especially for it. The oratory is one of the oldest in the region and is an example of 12th Century Romanesque architecture.

In medieval fashion, this reliquary is brought out and paraded around Bruges once a year, in a great procession.