Although the chapel
A small church that is not a parish church. It may be part of a larger entity such as a hospital, school, or an alms-house, or it may stand alone.
An enclosed part of a church with its own altar.
dates from the 17th century the architectural style is gothic. It is not a coincidence that the chapel is in the southern part of the church because the abundant sunlight symbolises Jesus’s loving presence. This love is celebrated in the Eucharist, the Holy or Venerable (i.e. honourable) SacramentIn Christianity, this is a sacred act in which God comes to man. Sacraments mark important moments in human life. In the Catholic Church, there are seven sacraments: baptism, confession, Eucharist, confirmation, anointing of the sick, marriage and ordination., when bread is broken as Jesus did at the Last Supper.

Consequently The Last Supper (Pieter I Eyckens) is the altarThe altar is the central piece of furniture used in the Eucharist. Originally, an altar used to be a sacrificial table. This fits in with the theological view that Jesus sacrificed himself, through his death on the cross, to redeem mankind, as symbolically depicted in the painting “The Adoration of the Lamb” by the Van Eyck brothers. In modern times the altar is often described as “the table of the Lord”. Here the altar refers to the table at which Jesus and his disciples were seated at the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. Just as Jesus and his disciples did then, the priest and the faithful gather around this table with bread and wine. piece in this chapel. Judas’s betrayal may be an allusion to the necessity of the believer’s integrity to receive communionThe consumption of consecrated bread and wine. Usually this is limited to eating the consecrated host..

The two horizontal panels against the choirIn a church with a cruciform floor plan, the part of the church that lies on the side of the nave opposite to the transept. The main altar is in the choir. wall (Frans II Francken) used to form a unit with the former altar triptych. Both represent a scene from the Old TestamentPart of the Bible with texts from before the birth of Jesus. in which bread plays a central role. Abraham BlessedUsed of a person who has been beatified. Beatification precedes canonisation and means likewise that the Church recognises that this deceased person has lived a particularly righteous and faithful life. Like a saint, he/she may be venerated (not worshipped). Some beatified people are never canonised, usually because they have only a local significance. by Melchizedek and The Bread from Heaven are prefigurations of the Last Supper and as such of the EucharisticThis is the ritual that is the kernel of Mass, recalling what Jesus did the day before he died on the cross. On the evening of that day, Jesus celebrated the Jewish Passover with his disciples. After the meal, he took bread, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat. This is my body.” Then he took the cup of wine, gave it to his disciples and said, “Drink from this. This is my blood.” Then Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” During the Eucharist, the priest repeats these words while breaking bread [in the form of a host] and holding up the chalice with wine. Through the connection between the broken bread and the “broken” Jesus on the cross, Jesus becomes tangibly present. At the same time, this event reminds us of the mission of every Christian: to be “broken bread” from which others can live..

The Brotherhood of the Holy Sacrament is still active today. Behind the pew is the complete list of all the chapel wardens who served since the year 1589: a testimony of unwearying commitment throughout the times.