Bruxella 1238

Underground archaeological site beneath Brussels' Bourse Palace: 13th-century Franciscan monastery foundations and the burial place of Duke John I of Brabant.

Bruxella 1238 is an archaeological site beneath the Bourse Palace in central Brussels, where the foundations of a Franciscan convent founded in 1238 were uncovered. The site carries particular historical weight: Duke John I of Brabant, victor of the Battle of Worringen, chose this convent as his burial place. Excavations between 1988 and 2022 brought to light building foundations, burial grounds, and various artefacts. These are now presented through an immersive underground exhibition that leads visitors through nearly a thousand years of Brussels history — right below one of the city's most recognizable landmarks.