St Nicholas' Church | Gent

St. Nicholas' Church is distinguished by its lantern tower, which rises over the crossing of the nave and transepts rather than above the entrance. This blue-grey stone structure, built in the thirteenth century, was funded by the wealthy merchant guilds of medieval Ghent. Because they chose Saint Nicholas as their patron, the building became the spiritual center for the traders working at the nearby Korenmarkt. Its central tower once served as a watchtower and held the city bells before the neighboring belfry was completed.