Saints Constantine and Helen
Ezelstraat 85
8000 Brugge
Church | XV | Gothic | Orthodox Church
Map
Opening hours
01 June - 15 August
Mon -
Tue -
Wed -
Thu -
Fri 13.00 - 16.00
Sat 15.00 - 19.00
Sun 9.00 - 14.00
Guided tour
+32 476 499 577
orthodoxie.brugge@skynet.be
Religious offices
Saturday : vespers 6 pm
Sunday : matins 9 am • liturgy 10 am
Description
The Orthodox parish church of Bruges was built in 1995 under the patronage of Saint Constantine and Saint Helen. It belongs to the archbishopric of Belgium under the jurisdiction of the ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Up to 2007 the Orthodox community congregated in a small room on the ground floor of the ancient hospice but at the end of that year it was installed in the old chapel of Saint Judoc. According to the archives this chapel was built in 1449 and the facades were restored in 2005-6 but in 2007-8 the Orthodox community itself completed its interior decoration, while respecting and conserving the original works of art of the chapel of Saint Judoc.
A characteristic of Orthodox rite is the iconostasis, the screen which separates the Holy of Holies from the nave. This magnificent work was made in Greece from lime wood. An artist, coming especially from Moscow, spent a year in Bruges painting the frescoes. The icons were painted in Bruges. It is interesting to note that some of the stalls were made by the students of VTI of Diksmude. A final noteworthy element is the central circular lights which play an important role in the liturgy.
The Orthodox community church of Bruges welcomes all Orthodox Christians of the region : Greeks, Syrians, Russians, Serbs, Rumanians, Georgians, Poles, and Belgians.
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Remarkable elements
The apse of the sanctuary
On the apse wall at the back of the chancel is a large fresco of the Virgin of the Sign, the symbol of the church. She is the link between heaven and earth. On this fresco the Mother of God has both arms raised in an attitude of prayer and the baby Jesus is shown in a medallion.
The iconostasis or icon screen
On entering an orthodox building the visitor finds himself in front of its most characteristic element: the iconostasis or icon screen, which separates the holy of holies from the nave of the church. The iconostasis symbolises the separation of the heavenly from the earthly world. When its central partition is open these two worlds are united. This iconostasis of lime wood comes from a workshop in Thessalonica in Greece.
Icon of saints Constantine and Helen
In the orthodox community an icon is revered as a holy object and is essential to the worship. On the left is the icon of the saints Constantine and Helen, the patron saints of this church. As these saints date from before the great Eastern Schism, they are worshipped by all Christians. They remind us on one hand of the Precious Cross and on the other of Constantinople, the great capital of Orthodoxy and seat of the Ecumenical patriarch.
The great hanging lamp or “polyeleos”
In the centre of the church is the large hanging lamp known as the “polyeleos”. At certain times during the liturgy it is completely lit up, sometimes only partly lit and sometimes not at all. This lamp is of solid copper and weighs 160 kilos. There are sixteen icons fixed around it. On entering the church one sees the icon of Christ in the centre with the Mother of God on his left and Saint John the Baptist on his right. The twelve apostles are also represented. Matthias, the thirteenth apostle, replaces Judas.
The stalls
In the chapel stands the wooden stalls among which the Episcopal throne and on the opposite site the Antithrone, destined for a religious visitor of honour. Some of the stalls were made by the students of the VTI of Diksmude (oak stalls modelled after a 19th century stall from the cloister of Simonos Patra on Mount Athos). The others were made in Thessalonica (Greece).
The frescoes
The Russian artist Yaroslav Dobrynine from the Moscow school worked for a whole here to complete the paintings according to this characteristically rich iconography. On the left is the fresco of the Whitsun festival when the twelve apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit which came down on them like tongues of fire.
Nearby
Circuit
Religious heritage in Bruges: walk with the precursors of the faith!
Together with the deanery of Bruges, Open Churches released a brochure describing a walk through Bruges, guiding you along the 11 principal churches in the town centre. The 9 km route invites you to walk in the footsteps of the pastors of our faith. You can explore the splendour and grandeur of our religious heritage and discover the legends and tales which surround the life of our saints and patron saints.
