Convent Van Maerlant, Brussels

This former convent, comprising a church and the Chapel of the Resurrection, bears the name of Jacob van Maerlant, a renowned medieval Flemish poet. The original chapel was constructed in 1435 under the authority of a Papal Bull and underwent renovations in the 1780s. The convent of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration itself was transformed from a Ducal townhouse in the early 1850s.

In 1905, a compulsory purchase order was issued for land for the construction of Brussels Central Station, which encompassed the convent. Consequently, a nearly identical chapel was erected, remaining in existence for another 45 years before finally being demolished in 1955. A decline in vocations led to the closure of the convent in the early 1980s, and after being left abandoned for nearly two decades, it was acquired to serve as the central library of the European Commission.

In 1996, the convent underwent a comprehensive renovation, featuring a central atrium over the cloister while preserving its original characteristics. The architecture is neoclassical, with Doric columns, a pediment, and friezes. The stained glass windows, painted by Thomas Reinhold of Vienna, were manufactured by the Schlierbach convent in Upper Austria and funded by nine Austrian regions to depict five biblical themes.

Remarkably, this is the sole pre-World War II building that remains standing in the area following the establishment of European institutions. It is situated in the vicinity known as the European Quarter and the Leopold Quarter. To the south, there is a neighboring building constructed in the late 1980s, housing Commission offices, which exhibits exceptional quality in an effort to harmonize with its neighboring Gothic church. Its height was also restricted to match that of the convent.

Further to the south lies Leopold Park and the Espace Léopold complex, housing the European Parliament as well as the buildings of the Committee of the Regions and the Economic and Social Committee. To the east, there is a car park and Place Jean Rey, while to the north stands the Justus Lipsius building, home to the Council of the European Union.