Lapidary Museum, Ghent

The Lapidary Museum in Ghent is situated on the ruins of the historic Saint Bavo Abbey, a site steeped in the city's rich medieval heritage. The museum specializes in exhibiting stone artifacts from various old buildings, monuments, and memorials, including a notable collection of tombstones that date back to the 13th century. These tombstones, largely sourced from abbeys, monasteries, and churches that sold their old stones to make room for new constructions, provide a fascinating glimpse into the region's architectural past.

Among the museum's prized exhibits is the tombstone of Hubert van Eyck, co-creator of the renowned painting "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," also known as the Ghent Altarpiece. This masterpiece, completed in 1432 and housed in the nearby Gothic Cathedral of Saint Bavo, underscores the city's connection to the van Eyck brothers, pivotal figures in early Netherlandish painting.

Ghent is renowned for its medieval monasteries, with the 7th-century Saint Bavo Abbey, where the museum is located, being particularly notable as the birthplace of John of Gaunt. Additionally, the remains of the Cistercian Abbey of Bijloke, founded in 1228, now host a museum of archaeology and part of the city hospital. The Lapidary Museum, with its unique focus on historical stone relics, offers visitors a tangible link to the city's storied past and its monastic traditions.