Cathédrale Notre Dame

Top choice in Wallonia


Dominating Tournai’s skyline are the five spires of its remarkable cathedral, which survived WWII bombs only for a freak 1999 tornado to compromise its stability. It'll remain a vast building site for another decade; though work on the five towers was completed in 2018. Despite the scaffolding, the interior remains a fascinating example of evolving architectural styles, from the magnificent Romanesque nave through a curious bridging transept into an early-Gothic choir whose soaring pillars bend disconcertingly.

The wood-panelled little Chapelle St-Louis is under restoration and its large canvases by Rubens and Jacob Jordaens are currently hidden, but there are some impressive paintings, tapestries and relics in the treasury.