Saint Nicholas Catholic Church

This guide to Saint Nicholas Catholic Church in Brussels traces three centuries of near-destruction, starting with the French bombardment of the city in August 1695, when incendiary shells set the lower town ablaze and this small church, wedged among market stalls, took a direct hit. It follows the church's ill-fated bell tower through an earlier collapse in 1367 and a second one after the siege, and the way a neighboring town mocked the rebuilding effort in song. Best heard standing in the nave, looking up at the pillars around you.