Church of St. John the Baptist at the Beguinage

This Baroque church in central Brussels was built in the seventeenth century to serve a large beguine community that once occupied the surrounding quarter. Its elaborately sculpted facade, among the finest of its style in the country, curves with tiers of scrolls, niches and pediments. Inside, a bright nave is lined with confessionals and paintings, and the church hosts concerts thanks to its fine acoustics. Amid a lively neighbourhood of cafes, it recalls the vanished religious settlement that gave the area its name.