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Similar St Salvator's Cathedral, Brugse Vrije, Church of Our Lady - Bruges, Bruges City Hall, St Walburga Church | ||
The St. Donatian's Cathedral (Dutch: Sint-Donaaskathedraal) was a Roman Catholic cathedral in Bruges, Belgium. Located on the Burg, one of the main squares in the city, it was the largest church in Bruges. The cathedral was destroyed in 1799 in the wake of the dissolution of the Diocese of Bruges during the aftermath of the French Revolution.
History
St Donatian's Church (Dutch: Sint-Donaaskerk) was built by Arnulf I, Count of Flanders, c. 950 AD, in order to house the relics of Saint Donatian that had been brought to Bruges in c. 870 AD by monks from Torhout. The church was built in the Romanesque architectural style. There was an octagonal main building, with a tower and a sixteen-sided ambulatory. The building stood on the Burg square, across from the Stadhuis (city hall). St Donatian's Church became a cathedral following the installation of the first Bishop of Bruges in 1562. St. Donatian's was destroyed in 1799 by occupying forces of the French First Republic. The former site of St Donatian's is now occupied by the Crowne Plaza Brugge Hotel; the foundations of the cathedral were uncovered in 1955 and are visible in the hotel's cellars.