Museum van het Heilig Bloed 🇧🇪

Located on Burg square in Bruges, Belgium, the Basilica of the Holy Blood is a Roman Catholic church famous for housing a venerated relic of the Holy Blood. According to tradition, Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood, which was later brought from the Holy Land by Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders. When you visit this historic complex, you will discover two uniquely different chapels.

On the lower level, you can explore the Chapel of St. Basil, a dark Romanesque structure built between 1134 and 1149 that remains remarkably unchanged. As you head upstairs via a monumental late Gothic and Renaissance staircase, you enter the upper chapel.

Rebuilt in Gothic style in the 16th century and updated with vivid 19th-century Gothic Revival murals and stained glass, this upper space holds the Passion relic. Inside, you can admire notable artistic features including a 1728 globe-shaped pulpit, a 1905 wall painting depicting Christ shedding his blood, and a white marble Baroque altar housing the silver tabernacle where the relic rests.

What to see at Museum van het Heilig Bloed

• The 12th-century Romanesque Chapel of St. Basil featuring a 14th-century wooden Madonna and Child
• The venerated phial of the Holy Blood, an 11th- or 12th-century Byzantine rock crystal bottle
• The monumental 16th-century De Steegheere staircase adorned with gilded bronze statues
• A unique 1728 globe-shaped pulpit sculpted by Henry Pulinckx
• The 1617 processional shrine displayed in the museum, crafted with gold, silver, and over 100 jewels

Visiting tips

Plan your tour for a Friday or during the two weeks before Ascension Day if you wish to view the venerated relic when it is shown to the public.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Friday morning

How to get there & what’s nearby

Museum van het Heilig Bloed is easy to reach on Bruges’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Church of Our Lady and Groeningemuseum. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Bruges travel guide.