The central tower
The merchants' beacon over the crossing with pointed turrets.
Jiel Beaumadier (http://jiel.b.free.fr) — CC BY-SA 2.5 · Michael D Beckwith — CC0 · George Chernilevsky — CC BY 4.0 · Ввласенко — CC BY-SA 3.0
A local Gothic style of the Scheldt river region (Ghent and Tournai) in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries: blue-grey Tournai stone instead of sandstone, a tower over the crossing instead of the façade, and small corner turrets — seen in St Nicholas' and other churches of the region. It gives Ghent a character distinct from Bruges and Antwerp.
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St Nicholas' Church is the first of the three towers from the quays and the oldest: built in the thirteenth century in Ghent's distinctive "Scheldt Gothic" — blue-grey Tournai stone, and a central tower over the crossing (rather than the façade) that served as a beacon and watchtower before the Belfry was built — for the merchants of the Korenmarkt and the boatmen, making it the church of the rich trading guilds. The interior is spacious and bright after a long restoration, with a huge marble baroque altar and a great organ, and a calm that surprises in the city's busiest spot — right on the Korenmarkt, facing the old post office. Loveliest: the small pointed turrets at the corners of the central tower, among the skyline's finest details. Free entry and a short visit — step in on your way between the quays and the Belfry, and look at it from St Michael's Bridge in the triple row.
The merchants' beacon over the crossing with pointed turrets.
Huge marble in a blue-grey Gothic nave.
Korenmarkt, 9000 Ghent