Which cathedral in Ghent houses Jan van Eyck’s famous Ghent Altarpiece?

St Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent houses Jan van Eyck’s famous Ghent Altarpiece.

The monumental polyptych, also called the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, was completed in 1432. Hubert van Eyck began the work, and his brother Jan completed it after Hubert’s death. The altarpiece is one of the defining masterpieces of Northern Renaissance painting.

The cathedral stands on the site of earlier churches and received its present name in 1559, when Ghent became a bishopric. Visitors often confuse St Bavo’s Cathedral with St Bavo’s Abbey, a separate former religious complex in the city.

The Ghent Altarpiece has had a turbulent history: parts were stolen, moved, or hidden during wars, and the work has undergone extensive conservation. Its central panels remain a major attraction inside the cathedral.