Saint Joseph's Church is situated in Frère Orban square, in the Leopold Quarter, in the center of Brussels. It is a national sanctuary dedicated to Saint Joseph who has been patron saint of Belgium since 1679.
History and Architecture
Inspired by the church of Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Tilman-François Suys decided to created a church resembling one of Rome's many basilicas with a flat apse choir. The first stone of the building was laid by Cardinal Engelbert Sterckx on April 6, 1842. The Apostolic Nuncio, Cardinal Giacomo Cattani, consecrated the church on June 24, 1874 and also made it the National Shrine of Saint Joseph.
The church was occupied by the Redemptorists for many decades until it was looked after by the Syriac Orthodox from 1989 to 2001. The church was then acquired by the Priory of Christ the King of the Society of St. Pius X, offering a much needed place of worship for their growing number of parishioners.
The church has three naves measuring a total of 66 meters long and 26 meters wide. Its vault is 18 meters high and is supported by two rows of Corinthian columns that separate the two aisles of the main church.