BRIGITTINES/BRIGITTINEN

(church) (Petite rue des Brigittines 3)

   The former church of the Brigittine order is located in the Marolles district and was built between 1663 and 1672 when many religious orders existed in Brussels. It served as a chapel for the Brigittine convent. The façade is in the Italianate-Flemish baroque style, and it once boasted a tower, which was destroyed in the bombardment of 1695. After the dissolution of the Brigittine order in 1794, the church served as a military pharmacy, poorhouse, school, butcher shop, and dance hall. It was renovated between 1964 and 1975 and now serves as a social center.