ST. BAVON'S CATHEDRAL AND THE MYSTIC LAMB

This Brabant Gothic cathedral with its white stone façade is the pride of Ghent. It was here that Charles V was baptized in 1500. It was built over several centuries, from the ^13th to the ^16th. The central vault was completed in 1628. The building is the successor to an earlier Romanesque church, of which only the crypt remains. The multi-storey tower rises to 89 m, but the original spire has been destroyed. While the interior is worth a look for its three naves and magnificent ^18th-century marble and oak pulpit, most of the cathedral's works (including Rubens' The Entry of Saint Bavo into the Monastery ) are to be found in the choir's radiating chapels, only accessible with the ticket for theMystic Lamb.

Augmented reality tour. This takes place in the crypt, where you'll be taken on a tour equipped with an augmented reality headset that displays holograms, accompanied by explanations (available in French). You can discover ^15th-century Ghent, Jan Van Eyck's workshop, and learn a host of details about the altarpiece of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. After this fascinating introduction, the tour continues in the choir, where you can finally admire this absolute masterpiece.

The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. Some art enthusiasts only come to Ghent to see this masterpiece, which is still a mystery. This monumental altarpiece of 18 painted panels was created between 1420 and 1432 by the brothers Jan and Hubert Van Eyck. It is considered the pinnacle of ^15th-century Flemish painting. The panels in the lower register and those on the outer shutters were returned to Saint-Bavon after years of restoration. The other panels are still being worked on at the MSK, where the restorers can be seen at work through a large window separating the exhibition room from the workshop. The state of conservation of the altarpiece is excellent, having been reworked several times by artists whose subsequent layers of paint have finally preserved the original work. Now, thanks to an X-ray study, restorers can assess the condition of the original paint before meticulously scraping away and restoring the original line and colors. It's almost a miracle! It would appear that the altarpiece was begun by Hubert Van Eyck, the elder of the two brothers, and completed by Jan. However, specialists have never been able to agree on which parts of the painting were attributed to each of the brothers. The Mystic Lamb illustrates a passage from John's Apocalypse, and shows the whole world coming to worship the Lamb, symbolizing the risen Christ. The terrestrial part occupies the lower level and the celestial part the upper register. The side panels on the left show Christ's knights and upright judges. On the right, saints and hermits. In the sky, the Trinity reigns over the world saved by Jesus. On the right, Saint John the Baptist, on the left, the Virgin Mary. Finally, at either end, Adam and Eve. The outside of the altarpiece's shutters is also painted with an Annunciation and portraits of the patrons. In 1934, two panels of The Mystic Lamb were stolen, and one of them - the Judges of Integrity panel on the left - has never been found. The investigation continues to this day.