Heritage brochure - Bortier gallery

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the bortier gallery former passageway to the covered madeleine market

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he story behind the gallery

At first glance it may appear as if the large façade that you see and the gallery which is in fact an extension have always coexisted. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the house that gives access to the future gallery dates back to the 18th century. An unmistakable sign, the house was at that time occupied by the Beydaels lineage, King of Arms of the Duchy of Brabant (an important officer in charge of all matters relating to coats of arms, ennoblement, etc). From 1799 onwards it houses various mail coach services — forerunners of our present postal services — amongst which “Saint-Simon”, “Grandes Messageries Van Gend”, distant predecessors of DHL and the likes, or “Messageries Royales” (Royal mail coach services).

From a historical point of view, rue de la Madeleine was one of the most well-heeled and luxurious high streets of Brussels: first cobbled street of the capital, it mainly gained its prestige during the 19th century flaunting the most beautiful shops of the City.

The larger context in which the gallery came into being is that of the redevelopment of the Saint-Jean district, following the demolition in the first half of the 19th century of the Saint-John Hospital, a vast domain founded and managed in the 12th century by a community of friars and nuns, under the supervision of secular tutors appointed by the city authorities. The story begins when Pierre Bortier, “one of the most eminent Belgian agronomists” and influential owner of the house (situated on rue de la Madeleine 55) and of two other adjoining parcels of land, proposes to build a huge covered market.

During the debates with the Brussels local council the project of this covered market met with great resistance from some of the members of the “Central Public Health Committee”: difficult access to the surroundings, necessity of a decent ventilation system and extensive water supply, etc. Others strongly reacted against the venal intentions of Bortier. “The suggested location is far too confined to build a market place where one will be able to buy all necessary household supplies.” And admittedly the recent acquisition (1846) by Bortier of property bought back at dire price by the City looks like a particularly good deal for the owner... However the project was ultimately approved by a “majority vote of 18 to 8” in February 1847.

“Mr Bortier intends to create a passage between rue de la Madeleine and the market in the part of the “Hôtel des Grandes Messageries”, a property in which he retains ownership; the land on which this passage will be built will officially continue to belong to Mr Bortier but will be subject to an easement in favour of the City whereby the public will be able to access and move about the premises freely. (…) Mr Bortier intends to establish shops on both sides of the passageway; he reserves the right to decide whether this passage will or not be surmounted by a glass roof; he intends to replace the front door of the “Hôtel des Grandes Messageries” by a wrought-iron gate.” Minutes of the local council meetings, 1847. It is reported that at the start of the excavation works in June 1847, workers discovered two caskets filled with silver and golden coins in the former horse stables of the Grandes Messageries, a find which came in handy for the city of Brussels to level – be it only partially – overspends on budget.

The Madeleine market opened on November 1, 1848. It consisted of 265 stalls spread over two floors. The stalls in the central section of the market were reserved for country merchants and rented on an hourly or daily basis.

“The Madeleine market will be dedicated to the sale of all sorts of edible products, with the exception of fresh meat and fish (the latter exception does not apply to oysters); liquor shops are also prohibited. Furthermore the tenants of the shops and houses will be able to engage in any kind of trade.”

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rchitecture and ornaments

The construction of covered markets is part of a practice that becomes widespread during the 19th century: the aim is to improve control over this type of activity for instance in terms of hygiene and use of the public thoroughfare. Also, covered galleries and passageways usher in a particularly fashionable architectural design at that time, originally from Paris. These forerunners of our current shopping centres reflect the will to provide pedestrians with the same safe environment as the pavement (which is first introduced in Brussels in the mid-19th century) and a certain comfort protected from the weather and the tumult of the city. Residents and tourists could stroll around, in and out of shops and indulge in window-shopping safely and stress-free, much to the delight of shop keepers.

The façade on rue de la Madeleine, i.e. the main entrance of the gallery is in late baroque style and presents a decor of garlands in the upper part of the frontage and also an entrance suitable for vehicles. The cartouche with the inscription “anno 1763” above the central window on the first floor refers to the year during which the Brabant King of Arms refurbished the townhouse.

Hence the city authorities repurchased different buildings and parcels of land, amongst which those of Bortier to put up a “covered market also known as the Madeleine market”. The main purpose was to regroup the small surrounding markets and — yes indeed even then! — relieve the traffic congestion in the city centre. The architect chosen to carry out this large-scale project is also the author of the nearby royal Saint-Hubert galleries: Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar.

The interior of the Bortier gallery is richly adorned with marble wall plates and cast iron pillars: cast iron is just emerging in architecture at that time — as a matter of fact its use will boom at the end of the 19th century as a result of the industrial revolution. Both its structural and decorative qualities are much appreciated. Prefabrication is still at an early stage but enables the production of repeated patterns. You can also admire the splendid leaf and flower motives (also known in architecture as “foliage”), birds and vases brimming with fruit.

La galerie Bortier constituait en réalité un des accès au marché, et plus précisément à l’étage de celui-ci, construit sur deux niveaux. L’entrée principale du marché se situait rue Duquesnoy, et la troisième rue Saint-Jean.

In rue Duquesnoy the façade showcases an architecture that is similar to the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence with a succession of vaulted porticoes. Finally, in rue Saint-Jean, the façade which has now become the emergency exit of the Madeleine community hall and corresponds to the historical gateway (numbers 21-25) is explicitly inspired by the 16th-century Italian Renaissance. The ornaments in the old Madeleine hall bear the signature of renowned architect Alphonse Balat who was mainly commissioned by King Leopold II and is far better known for building the fabulous Royal Greenhouses in Laeken.

The Bortier gallery was in fact one of the entrance ways to the market and in particular to its first floor (the covered market was indeed built on two storeys). The main entrance of the market was located on rue Duquesnoy and a third entrance was situated rue Saint-Jean.

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ours and detours

Both the Bortier gallery and the Madeleine market were inaugurated in September 1848 with festivities and a huge exhibition of paintings.

The 15 shops of the gallery — which at first bore the name “Madeleine gallery” and was only later given the name of its founder — all included housing. From 1848 onwards Bortier who retained ownership of the gallery rented out his property to different merchants: so for instance, in the consecutive years 1855 and 1856 the gallery counted 5 occupants (a cotton merchant, a boot-maker, a fruit merchant and two second-hand booksellers). Among these tenants the Moens family took pride of place: Jean-Baptiste Moens, considered as one of the precursors of philately, sold books, coins and stamps in his shop as from 1852.

Throughout its history, the Madeleine hall was used for all sorts of events such as concerts, in particular to celebrate the 18th anniversary of Belgium, charity events, exhibitions, etc.

With its three façades the gallery is all that remains from the massive construction designed by Cluysenaar. The impressive Madeleine market which was renovated in 1910 in view of the World Fair, was torn down and replaced by the present Madeleine hall (community centre of the city of Brussels), this time in anticipation of the 1958 World Fair. The Bortier gallery was transformed to a certain extent and underwent extensive renovation works in 1974: replacement of the glass roof (which unlike the original construction, was a pitched roof); demolition of the section leading to rue Saint-Jean, that will be rebuilt further up at numbers 17 to 19 behind a new façade in neo-baroque style; construction of a new entrance — since as mentioned above the old entrance was used as emergency exit for the Madeleine hall.

The gallery is best known for its second-hand book shops. Today it shelters B-Gallery, an exhibition venue of the City of Brussels devoted to young contemporary creation.

The Bortier gallery is one of the gateways to the so-called UNESCO area of Brussels city centre. It is indeed located at the border of this area which roughly corresponds to the Grand-Place in the broader sense, i.e. including the streets in the immediate vicinity. According to the UNESCO admission to the World Heritage List in 1998, the area “is an outstanding example of the eclectic and highly successful blending of architectural and artistic styles that characterizes the culture and society of this region.”

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copyright: Archives de la Ville de Bruxelles

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Organisation des Nations Unies pour l’éducation, la science et la culture

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La Grand-Place de Bruxelles inscrite sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial en 1998

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