Saint Nicholas' Church, Ghent

One of the oldest and most prominent landmarks of Ghent, this church was built in the thirteenth century in the regional Scheldt Gothic style, using local blue-grey stone. Its central lantern tower, rising above the crossing, once doubled as a watchtower for the city and stands as the first of the famous line of towers along the medieval spine of Ghent. Funded largely by the guilds whose members traded nearby, its slender pillars and lofty nave create a soaring interior. It remains a working church amid the busy shopping streets.