Saint James Church
Saint James Church
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles57 reviews
Excellent
28
Very good
25
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
0

Marc_Karin
Ghent, Belgium351 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020 • Couples
Wonderful church to visit. Very authentic with great glass windows and impressive ceiling. Very much worth the visit.
Written August 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

macedonboy
Glasgow, UK179,694 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2019
Église Saint-Jacques de Tournai or Saint James Church is a historically important church in Wallonia that was part of the pilgrimage routes of Santiago de Compostela. The current building dates back to the end of the 12th century and is a mixture of Gothic and Romanesque. Almost monumental in scale, sadly time has taken its toll on the building. What remains of the stained glass windows are amazing, but there’s little left save for the ones behind the high altar and on both ends of the transept. The stained glass behind the altar shown scenes from the life of the apostles, very Gothic, tall and mighty. The rose windows of the left transept is exceptionally beautiful, depicting the Virgin with the infant Jesus at the centre, surrounded by angels.

Sadly, there’s not much else worth seeing in the church save perhaps for the scenes of the crucifixion and passion. It’s worth a stop if you have time though.
Written September 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

nmhiker2015
Colorado Springs, CO141 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019
This church looks a little sad from the outside, but has some amazing finds on the inside. First, as you go in there is a large carved trumpeting angel which is very impressive. Inside the church, there are several lovely stained glass windows, and the vaulted ceiling above the altar has some remnants of very pretty blue. The best feature is the barrel vaulted ceiling in the main part of the church. There were a couple of boards - unfortunately not in English - that show an up close detailed view of this unique ceiling.

Stop by, enjoy the view, and drop a Euro or two in the box to help them maintain and improve this little gem.
Written September 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GuidoLocattelli
Cuyahoga Falls, OH6,818 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2016 • Solo
Short visit here on my way by train from Bruxelles was a pleasant one - many years ago long before the range of calendar dates suitable for indicating the time of my first visit were made available for completing this review. I had seen one church in Brugges and and another one in Ghent and I did not want leave Belgium. So my train stopped here andI got off to learn about the city. After walking around the city's old section near the railway station I saw something that led me in the direction of the church in question. I saw the inside of the church and knew that I had missed something in school learning about this topic. That was the effect for me when making so many energized visits to see so many different places in Belgium when I was a much younger person. It was an older church according to what I read about its design with parts from the 12th or 13th centuries. If I needed a reason to study more about church architecture here it was. I stayed outside to admire the exterior structure. A somewhat very romanesque church according to my current reading about this style. Since I made this visit I bought and read two large books about romanesque architecture and loved every minute of it. Then I did go inside to admire the ceilings and I do agree that if you like history you should visit and read about this church. Leave your young children someplace else while you visit the church for this is for adults. Do not bring your pet dog either. Do not enter the church munching on two ham sandwiches and drinking a milk shake. Show respect for this artistic heritage of the country as it is now part of the national treasury. I did ask many questions about maintenance and repair costs. I believe that we had a chance to go through some ancient parts of the church but I can not recall everything now. I did want to compare my experience in visiting war cemeteries and a church like this one. I am still thinking about that comparison As one person said to me about the importance of this place on the pilgrimage route to Compostela and my response to such a suggestion I did not know then. It is worth investigating though l am sure. Stay away from group tours and conduct a reasonable visit by yourself and avoid having to listen to people from just ahead of you chatter about unrelated topics. Such an experience for me was like listening in on a phone conversation when you did not make the phone call. It was summer time for me so I do not know what it is like to see this place in the cooler weeks of the year. Youth pass privileges as a student and eur-rail train pass benefits did do me many favors like saving money. I do not know how things have changed since those early years of inexpensive traveling but I do know that it is not as inexpensive as it once was with a few more hurdles go over now. Admission prices were low and cheap then and maybe free at times also. Crowds were not large then. I went back a second time before leaving Belgium. The explanation of the stories included in the stained glass windows were not easy for me to learn at once so I asked for help and got it. There were sign boards on the wall to direct your reading. I did wonder if this place was still a residence for monks.There was a solemn atmosphere there. I suggest that you go there. Belgium shouldn't be over-looked. A college level equivalent of a 4 year university education is available here for appreciating this church as a wonderful example of romanesque church architecture so least two hours might be needed to to do justice to this church.I would say that wandering around this town is worth it too. Take notes and do not try to take photographs of every thing you see. Buy a book of photographs of things you can not photograph. Read books about romanesque architecture upon returning home.
Written April 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

RHAHJ
Nijmegen, The Netherlands1,979 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2017 • Solo
This church feels genuinely old. The tower is from the 12th century, and the church itself from the 13th. Inside one sees the galleries that I believe to be typical of Romanesque churches. The ceilings seem authentic, from the 14th century. If you like history, this is a premium church.
Written March 30, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Grant B
McKinney, TX305 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2017 • Friends
This church had some very beautiful stained glass and we got to look through some ancient church things.
Written March 11, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

The_Schaefers
Silver City, NM107 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2016 • Friends
You know from the mollusk shell, you are at the beginning of the pilgrimage trail that goes from the Pyrenees to the coast of Spain. The stained glass windows are explained by level on a signboard on the left side of the church (top, middle, and bottom).
Written September 13, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Katrien S
Ghent, Belgium1,982 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Solo
This is an early gothic church, which has a double entrance, some pointed arches, but still many round arches and double columns. It has little decoration, but at the entrance there are many burial sculptures and plates, as well as some angles, and there are some frescoes at the choir. It was used by pelgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostella. The square in which this church is located is also very worthwhile seeing, with quite a few old and nicely renovated buildings.
Written August 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Anthony-Susan
Washington DC, DC854 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2015 • Couples
We came here as pilgrims on the Camino (Santiago de Compostela). This is acknowledged in some special reading boards inside this church, and you can get a Camino stamp from a lady who lives nearby.

But what makes this church truly special are the stained glass windows devoted to the 7 sacraments. I can't recall anything similar anywhere else, so we spent a great deal of time studying these masterpieces. Since almost no tourists come here, we had it all to ourselves.
Written June 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Saint James Church, Tournai

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