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Landmarks ·  4 min 

# Michelangelo's Madonna: The Sculpture That Wasn't Supposed to Be Here

One of Michelangelo's few works outside Italy sits in a Bruges church.

![Michelangelo's Madonna: The Sculpture That Wasn't Supposed to Be Here](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1769369116461-cac7bb575505?w=800&q=80)

The Church of Our Lady has the tallest brick tower in the world at 115.5 metres. But the real reason to come inside is Michelangelo's Madonna and Child.

In 1504, a wealthy Bruges cloth merchant bought it directly from Michelangelo's workshop in Rome. It's one of the few Michelangelo works outside Italy, and the only one that left during his lifetime.

It's been stolen twice — once by the French revolutionaries, once by the Nazis. Both times it came back.

Entry to the sculpture area costs €7. While you're there, look for the tombs of Charles the Bold and Mary of Burgundy.

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