JOIN US FOR OUR FINAL FRIDAY IN A BEAUTIFUL BAR AND PATIO OF A HOTEL RICH IN HISTORY
SEPTEMBER 25TH @6.30PM
HOTEL THE DOMINICAN
RUE LEOPOLD 9
1000 BRUSSELS
The Dominican hasn’t always been the hotel you know and love today. The unpretentious façade guards a wealth of history influenced by religion and the arts. If the walls and arches could talk, you would be thrown back many centuries in the past.
The year was 1465. Upon the initiative of Duchess Isabella of Portugal and after approval from Pope Calixtus III, a monastery was born. To the duchess’ consternation the prestigious order of Dominican friars was not yet represented in the capital. The cloister expanded with the purchase of more land throughout the years. And eventually, it also got patronized by the highest nobility. Under the Brussels Republic, conspiracies and incendiary sermons led to a banishment of the Dominican friars on April 22nd 1581. The cloister was demolished for a first time in 1583 but it didn’t take long for the friars to return.
It was the French revolution that heralded a final blow to the Dominican friars in Brussels. The last 36 friars got expelled on November 12th 1796. The cloister went to auction as a national heritage in February 1797.
The year was 1816 when the neo classical French painter Jacques-Louis David arrived in Brussels and chose to establish himself in the Leopold Street . After his death in Brussels on December 29th 1825, the house he lived in was named after him. The original façade of his home has remained intact and was integrated into the design of the hotel.
Nestled within the lofty arches is a blissful garden with its inviting terrace under the spectacular fig tree. This patio is one of the city’s premier and most charming outdoor settings, equally wonderful for a sunny hang out or a starry night with easy going music and familiar faces.
PRICE
MEMBERS: 5€
PARTNERS: 10€
NON-MEMBERS: 15€
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