The Royal Crypt at the Church of Our Lady in Laeken




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Photo by Moniek Bloks

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The Royal Crypt in Laeken had been on my list for quite some time now. Last weekend I had a family weekend in the south of the Netherlands and since Brussels was a lot closer by I hopped on a train!

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The royal crypt is inside the Église Notre-Dame in Laeken, Brussels. It is a pretty church with very high ceilings. It was built in memory of Queen Louise-Marie of Belgium (Louise of Orléans), the wife of King Leopold I of Belgium.

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Right before entering the crypt you walk across this gorgeous tiled floor.

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The main tomb is that of Leopold I and Marie-Louise.

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The tomb of Astrid of Sweden, Leopold III and Lilian, Princess of Réthy. 

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Albert I and Elisabeth of Bavaria

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King Baudouin with the most recent addition, Queen Fabiola who died in 2014.

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Leopold II and Marie-Henriette of Austria

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The tomb Prince Charles, Count of Flanders

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Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, Countess of Flanders, her husband Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and their eldest son Prince Baudouin

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Prince Alexander

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Prince Louis Philippe, Empress Carlota of Mexico and Prince Leopold Emmanuel of Liechtenstein 

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Just outside the church is this garden dedicated to the memory of Queen Astrid. According to one man in the church, she is still Belgium’s most popular Queen.

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How gorgeous!

The church and the crypt are absolutely beautiful and well worth a visit. It’s only open to the public on Sunday afternoons between 2 and 5 pm and on these dates:

  • 17 February: death of King Albert I
  • 31 July: death of King Baudouin
  • 29 August : death of Queen Astrid
  • 25 September : death of King Leopold III
  • 1 November: All Saints Day
  • 15 November: “Koningsfeest – Fête du Roi”
  • 29 November : death of Prince Alexander
  • 5 December : death of Queen Fabiola.

There is no entrance fee and there’s a very enthusiastic man working there who wants to tell you all about the church. (Though he didn’t really get my sarcasm!) There is a cemetery next to the church which looked like a mini Père Lachaise and has a statue of Le Penseur by Rodin.






About Moniek Bloks 2681 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

2 Comments

  1. You are doing a great job Monik dear.I am awed by the history. I love to read about the royals of Europe and I love Europe.Been there once but I am staying very very far frm there.keep it up.

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