How the Parish Came Into Existence


Home Up The 19th Century Baroque Style Problems of Stability Transept Enlargement of the choir Alternation to the lower church The New Lower Church How the Parish Came Into Existence	In the second half of the 10th century the urban area got its first parish church, which is that of St John (now St Bavo’s Cathedral). At the end of the 11th century new parishes were created out of this oldest town parish, which belonged to the jurisdiction of the church of St Peter’s Abbey. The parishes were St Jacob and St Nicholas, at the right bank of the Lys. The other major Ghent abbey, St Bavo, had St Michael’s church built at the other bank of the Lys. The foundation of several new churches clearly illustrates the dynamic development of the urban settlements. The population grew but also became richer and flourishing urban areas wanted houses of worship of their own. St Nicholas’s parish was rather small but well situated in the trade centre: next to the busy Korenmarkt, near the Lys harbour and near some of the major roads.	The church was devoted to the holy Nicholas of Myra, very much appropriate, as he is the patron of the boatmen, the bakers, "meerseniers" or tradesmen. Ghent had attained the staple rights for Flanders, which set the right economic conditions for St Nicholas’s church to develop into an exceptional building. The aldermen of Ghent granted the church’s tower the function of Belfry in the 13th century and contributed financially to its erection. In the mean time two other buildings had preceded the present one : the first one had been destroyed by a fire on the 4 of May in 1120, the second one had been gradually demolished from 1200 onwards.