Finding the Tombs of Matilda of Flanders & Marie of Brabant at St. Peter’s Church, Leuven, Belgium




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Saint Peter's Church, Leuven (Photo by Moniek Bloks)

 

Saint Peter's Church, Leuven
Saint Peter’s Church, Leuven

The city of Leuven (Louvain) has a rich background, and it’s still the home to many beautiful buildings. The Saint Peter’s Church is just one of those buildings, and it also houses three tombs.

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Tomb of Matilda of Boulogne and her daughter Marie of Brabant
Tomb of Matilda of Boulogne and her daughter Marie of Brabant

Matilda of Boulogne (or Flanders) was the daughter of Marie I, Countess of Boulogne and Matthew, Count of Boulogne. She was born around 1170 and was married to Henry I, Duke of Brabant at the age of nine. They went on to have seven children, and the last child probably cost Matilda her life. Matilda is buried in this church with her eldest daughter Marie (Maria) of Brabant who was Holy Roman Empress and Queen of Germany as the wife of Otto IV. She was his second wife, and he died just four years later. She remarried two years later to William I, Count of Holland and she probably didn’t have issue from either of her marriages. She outlived her second husband almost forty years before dying in 1260.

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Altar
Altar

The Saint Peter’s Church is rather pretty, though naturally, it was undergoing some construction while I was there. There is an entrance fee of 3 euros, but for that money, you also get a map that actually holds information about the whereabouts of the tombs (looking at you, Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula!). There is also a crypt underneath that you can visit, but it is empty.






About Moniek Bloks 2851 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

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