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Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries

Coordinates: 50°50′51″N 4°21′18″E / 50.84750°N 4.35500°E / 50.84750; 4.35500
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Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries
  • Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert (French)
  • Koninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen (Dutch)
Map
LocationCity of Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Coordinates50°50′51″N 4°21′18″E / 50.84750°N 4.35500°E / 50.84750; 4.35500
AddressRue du Marché aux Herbes / Grasmarkt 90
Opening date20 June 1847
ArchitectJean-Pierre Cluysenaar
Public transit access
WebsiteOfficial website

The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries (French: Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert; Dutch: Koninklijke Sint-Hubertusgalerijen) is an ensemble of three glazed shopping arcades in central Brussels, Belgium. It consists of the King's Gallery (French: Galerie du Roi; Dutch: Koningsgalerij), the Queen's Gallery (French: Galerie de la Reine; Dutch: Koninginnegalerij) and the Princes' Gallery (French: Galerie des Princes; Dutch: Prinsengalerij).

The galleries were designed and built by the architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar between 1846 and 1847, and precede other famous 19th-century European shopping arcades, such as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan and the Passage in Saint Petersburg.[1] Like them, they have twin, regular façades with distant origins in Vasari's long, narrow, street-like courtyard of the Uffizi in Florence, with glazed, arched shopfronts separated by pilasters and two upper floors, all in an Italianate Cinquecento style, under an arched, glass-paned roof with a delicate cast-iron framework. The complex was designated a historic monument in 1986.[2]

The galleries are located in the block between the Rue du Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt and the Rue de la Montagne/Bergstraat to the south and east, the Rue d'Arenberg/Arenbergstraat and the Rue de l'Ecuyer/Schildknaapsstraat to the north, and the Rue des Dominicains/Predikherenstraat and the Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat to the west.[1] This site is served by Brussels-Central railway station.

History

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Inception and construction

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The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries were designed by the young architect Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, who determined to sweep away a warren of ill-lit alleyways between the Rue du Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt and the Rue Montagne aux Herbes Potagères/Warmoesberg and replace a sordid space where the bourgeoisie scarcely ventured into with a covered shopping arcade more than 200 m (660 ft) in length.[3][4] His idea, conceived in 1836, was finally authorised in February 1845. The partnership Société des Galeries Saint-Hubert, in which the banker Jean-André Demot took an interest, was established by the summer of that year, but nine years were required to disentangle all the property rights, assembled by rights of eminent domain, during a process that caused one property owner to die of a stroke, and a barber, it was said, to slit his throat as the adjacent house came down.[5][6]

The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries' architect, Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar

Construction started on 6 May 1846, lasting for thirteen months, and the 213-metre-long (699 ft) passage was inaugurated on 20 June 1847 by King Leopold I and his two sons.[3][7] In 1845, the Société named the three sections of the new passage the Galerie du Roi/Koningsgalerij ("King's Gallery"), the Galerie de la Reine/Koninginnegalerij ("Queen's Gallery") and the Galerie des Princes/Prinsengalerij ("Princes' Gallery").[8] The ensemble, originally called the Passage Saint-Hubert ("Saint-Hubert Passage"), has borne its present name since 1965.

Later development

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View of the south entrance to the galleries in 1884, illustration from Bruxelles à travers les âges
Interior view of the galleries in 1884

Under its motto Omnibus omnia ("Everything for everybody"), displayed in the fronton of its palace-like façade,[1] the Saint-Hubert Galleries were an immediate success and became the favourite meeting and strolling place for Brussels' residents and tourists. Brilliantly lit, they offered the luxury of outdoor cafés in Brussels' inclement climate, in an ambiance of luxury retailers that brought to the city the true feel of a European capital.[9][10] The Taverne du Passage, called the Café des Arts until 1892, was the meeting place for painters and writers of the time.[11] In the premises of La Chronique daily newspaper, on 1 March 1896, the first public showing of moving pictures took place of the cinematographers Lumière, fresh from their initial triumph in Paris.[12][13][11]

The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries (King's Gallery pictured) in the late 19th century

A theatre inside the King's Gallery, the Royal Theatre of the Galleries, was designed by Cluysenaar and opened 7 June 1847. It became one of three royal theatres of Brussels, alongside the Royal Theatre of La Monnaie and the Royal Park Theatre, playing operetta and revues.[9][14] Its interior was rebuilt in 1950–51 by the architect Paul Bonduelle [fr].[14] Another theatre, the Théâtre du Vaudeville, located in the former premises of the Casino des Galeries Saint-Hubert inside the Queen's Gallery, was inaugurated in 1884.[9][15] Still inside the Queen's Gallery, a cinema, the Cinéma des Galeries, was built in 1939 by Bonduelle.[13]

The Royal Galleries were designated a historic monument on 19 November 1986.[2] They underwent extensive restoration in 1997 to mark their 150th anniversary. On that occasion, the original polychromy was restored, based on stratigraphic studies. In 2008, the galleries were submitted for World Heritage inscription and are included in UNESCO's "Tentative List" in the cultural heritage category.[10]

Description

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The Royal Galleries have twin, regular façades that can be traced back to Vasari's long, narrow, street-like courtyard of the Uffizi in Florence. They feature glazed, arched shopfronts separated by pilasters and two upper floors, all in an Italianate Cinquecento style, under an arched, glass-paned roof with a delicate cast-iron framework.[16] Since construction, no significant transformation has altered the original façades, thereby forming a coherent and prestigious urban entity.[10] Once lit with gas candelabras,[17][18] the galleries now boast LED scenographic lighting, allowing for sound and light projections.[18]

The galleries remain very lively, and are frequented by Brussels' residents and tourists alike. Chocolatiers, antique dealers, clothing stores, booksellers, and jewellers share some of the seventy shops that extend along both sides of the covered pedestrian walkway. A few restaurants and taverns, as well as a theatre and cinema, fill the remaining windows that run through the three passages.[12] Apartments and offices occupy the upper floors above these shops and performance halls. The owners, who are descendants of the galleries' founders, continue to manage the premises while preserving the social mixing intended by Cluysenaer.[18]

Galleries

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The Royal Galleries consist of two major sections, each more than 100 metres (330 feet) in length (respectively called the Galerie du Roi/Koningsgalerij, meaning "King's Gallery", and the Galerie de la Reine/Koninginnegalerij, meaning "Queen's Gallery"), and a smaller side gallery (the Galerie des Princes/Prinsengalerij, meaning "Princes' Gallery"). The main sections (King's and Queen's Gallery) are separated by a peristyle at the point where the Rue des Bouchers/Beenhouwersstraat crosses the gallery complex. At this point, there is a discontinuity in the straight perspective of the galleries. This "bend" was introduced purposefully in order to make the long perspective of the galleries, with its repetition of arches, pilasters and windows, less tedious.[19]

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The King's Gallery (French: Galerie du Roi, Dutch: Koningsgalerij) stretches from the Rue des Bouchers to the Rue d'Arenberg/Arenbergstraat and the Rue de l'Ecuyer/Schildknaapsstraat.[1] It notably houses the Royal Theatre of the Galleries.[20] Between 2011 and 2015, it was also home to the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts, which honoured the greatest men and women of art, history, music, the humanities and science.[21][22]

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The Queen's Gallery (French: Galerie de la Reine, Dutch: Koninginnegalerij), to the south, leads to the Rue du Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt, near the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square),[1] and on the other side of this street begins the Horta Gallery. The longest of the galleries,[23] its best known shops are Delvaux leather goods and Neuhaus chocolatier, which is the birthplace of the praline. It also houses the Théâtre du Vaudeville, the Cinéma des Galeries and the Taverne du Passage restaurant.[15]

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The Princes' Gallery (French: Galerie des Princes, Dutch: Prinsengalerij) is located perpendicularly between the King's Gallery and the Rue des Dominicains/Predikherenstraat.[1] Smaller and more sober in its design, but without disrupting the harmony,[19] it is home to Tropismes bookshop, housed in the former Café des Princes.[14]

  • The south entrance on the Rue du Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt
    The south entrance on the Rue du Marché aux Herbes/Grasmarkt
  • Overview of the King's Gallery
    Overview of the King's Gallery
  • The small side of the Princes' Gallery
    The small side of the Princes' Gallery
  • Light show organised for the 170th anniversary of the galleries in 2017
    Light show organised for the 170th anniversary of the galleries in 2017

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Mardaga 1994, p. 301.
  2. ^ a b Région de Bruxelles-Capitale (2016). "Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert" (in French). Brussels. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b De Moncan 1993, p. 180.
  4. ^ Willaumez 1994, p. 14.
  5. ^ De Moncan 1993, p. 180–184.
  6. ^ Willaumez 1994, p. 18–19.
  7. ^ Willaumez 1994, p. 21.
  8. ^ Willaumez 1994, p. 23.
  9. ^ a b c De Moncan 1993, p. 187.
  10. ^ a b c Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Les passages de Bruxelles / Les Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert - UNESCO World Heritage Centre". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert". visit.brussels. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  12. ^ a b De Moncan 1993, p. 193.
  13. ^ a b Mardaga 1994, p. 305.
  14. ^ a b c Mardaga 1994, p. 306.
  15. ^ a b Mardaga 1994, p. 304–305.
  16. ^ Willaumez 1994, p. 29–32.
  17. ^ Willaumez 1994, p. 33.
  18. ^ a b c "History of the Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert in Brussels: a marvelous story". Royal Gallery of Saint Hubert. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  19. ^ a b Willaumez 1994, p. 26.
  20. ^ Mardaga 1994, p. 301–302.
  21. ^ "Le Musée des lettres et manuscrits de Paris vient à Bruxelles". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  22. ^ "Le Musée des Lettres et Manuscrits est fermé - RTBF Actus". RTBF (in French). Retrieved 26 July 2025.
  23. ^ Willaumez 1994, p. 29.

Bibliography

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  • De Moncan, Patrice (1993). Les passages en Europe (in French). Brussels: Éditions du Mécène. ISBN 978-2-907970-12-9.
  • Grosjean, Paul (2022). Galerie Royales (Saint-Hubert), Star des galeries, Galeries des stars (in French). Brussels: Édition Ventures. ISBN 978-2-9603158-0-6.
  • Willaumez, Marie-France (1983). Les passages-galeries du XIXe siècle à Bruxelles (in French). Brussels: Ministère de la Communauté française.
  • Willaumez, Marie-France (1994). Trois visages de passages au XIXe siècle. Bruxelles, ville d'Art et d'Histoire (in French). Vol. 7. Brussels: Éditions de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
  • Le Patrimoine monumental de la Belgique: Bruxelles (PDF) (in French). Vol. 1C: Pentagone N-Z. Liège: Pierre Mardaga. 1994.
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