The Mystic Lamb in Ghent
A day in Ghent
Foreword
Several weeks ago a friend of mine and I made a deal to have a day trip somewhere on this day. Until a few days ago I told this friend: ‘I still had no idea where to go on the coming Saturday.’ The friend then said he wanted to go to Ghent. To me, it was coincidently already on my to-visit list so I agreed to this place without hesitation.
Hit The Road
We got up late on Saturday, as we always do. So did the family of my friend. We then set off rather late in the morning, at around 10:20 AM.
There was no traffic at all on Saturday morning, even when passing the notorious Antwerp ring. On Belgian highway, we could drive at 120km/hour, which also made it feel a lot faster. Eventually, without detouring or getting lost, we arrived at the destined parking lot (which is literally at the city center of Ghent) a few minutes before noon.
First Impression of Ghent
My first impression of Ghent when driving into the city was - what a crowded place! Ghent was no cozy-little-tourist place to me; it felt like a medium-sized (and it is) city, perhaps even comparable to Eindhoven. Lots of tram lines can be observed within the city center, which is in line with other bigger cities in Europe.
What differs from Eindhoven is, well, it has a very beautiful medieval city center. Many buildings are the typical Flemish stepped gables, especially along the rivers. According to Wikipedia, the oldest stepped gables are at Graslei in Ghent. In addition to the stepped gables, there are other beauties; for example, Saint Bavo’s Cathedral (Brabantine Gothic), Saint Nicolass Church and Belfry of Ghent. These buildings decorate the city skyline very well. In summary, it was a medieval architectural feast.
Het Lam Gods
My main goal of visiting Ghent today is to see the masterpiece from Jan van Eyck - Het Lam Gods. After parking our car at a parking lot very close to Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, we walked towards Saint Bavo’s Cathedral where the Ghent Altarpiece (also called The Mystic Lamb; and in Dutch it’s called Het Lam Gods) is in.
Standing in front of the cathedral, it was already around noon and we booked the visiting session starting at 13:30 PM, therefore, we decided to have lunch before going in. Coincidentally, right across the street was a Chinese noodles restaurant Seli’s Noodlebar standing, just what I needed! We went right in without any hesitation. Some moments later my friend and his family also arrived and met us in the restaurant. The food was decent and was not expensive (I ordered beef noodle soup and it was around €15).
Not long after lunch, we walked back to Saint Bavo’s Cathedral for the altarpiece.
The catholic cathedral was magnificent. There were a lot of tourists when we were there. Many of them were lined up to buy tickets to see the altarpiece as well. We already bought the tickets online, so we just skipped the line and went right in. The altarpiece was located in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, which is exactly at the (liturgical) eastmost side of the cathedral. It was indeed a masterpiece:
The Mystic Lamb
First of all, it was huge when all the panels were opened (which was the case when we were there)! Second, the details in the paintings in all the panels were with remarkable details. The shadows of the figures, the landscapes and various objects were just so realistic and in impeccable precision.
The work was commissioned by a wealthy merchant. Jan van Eyck’s brother, Hubert, started the painting first but passed away before he could finish it, after that Jan van Eyck finished the remaining work. This painting is special because it is considered the first major oil painting, a major example of the transition from Middle Ages to Renaissance art. Jan van Eyck himself is regarded by art experts as the game changer in oil painting techniques.
The Interior Panels
The upper three central panels are depicting Deisis. The panels to the right and the left of the upper central panels are singing angels. The outermost panels among the upper panels are Adam and Eve standing in niches.
The bottom panels (5 in total) depict a panoramic landscape where the Lamb of God (Agnus Dei) is at the center, and eight groups of crowds come to the lamb to worship (4 in the central panel and 2 pairs of the outer panels). The scene is derived from the Gospel of John, where the title of Jesus, Lamb of God, is uniquely mentioned in the gospel.
Adnus Dei
Central Panels 
The Back Panels
The paintings in the back panels, or, the exterior panels are relatively simple and sparse. It was dark in the room, so I couldn’t get good shots of the back panels, nevertheless:
The back panels are about annunciation; there are prophets and angels and saints and donors in the panels. For details, please see here.
Saint Bavo’s Cathedral
Saint Bavo’s Cathedral
The Mystic Lamb tour took us around 30 minutes. Then we spent some time admiring other parts of the cathedral. The cathedral is important in the sense that it houses an impressive collection of art and architectural treasures.
Another famous art treasure inside the same cathedral is The Conversion of St. Bavo. This is one of the masterpieces of Baroque artist Pieter Paul Rubens. It was in one of the ambulatory chapels - Rubens Chapel. 
The Conversion of St. Bavo
The chancel1 and the ambulatory chapels date from the Gothic period. The chapels were renovated in the Baroque style after the Iconoclastic Fury (a.k.a. Beeldenstorm in Eighty Years’ War).
Chancel and Choir of Saint Bavo’s Cathedral
After enjoying several parts of the cathedral, we visited the souvenir store and bought a magnet for our memory. Here are some more sights within the cathedral:
The Graffiti Street and Gravensteen Castle
After visiting Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, we walked to the graffiti street and had a short break to have some hot drinks and snacks. Lastly, we took a picture in front of Gravensteen Castle and called it a day.
Return Home
On the way home, I tanked my car for €1.49/L, which was around €0.35 cheaper than in the Netherlands. A summary: today we threw ourselves back to the past of the Flemish center of Northern Renaissance art and architecture. Most importantly, we saw Het Lam Gods.
