The St. Donatian's Cathedral (Dutch: Sint-Donaaskathedraal) was a Roman Catholic cathedral in Bruges, Belgium. Located on the Burg, one of the main squares in the city,[1][2][3] it was the largest church in Bruges. The cathedral was destroyed in 1799[1] in the wake of the dissolution of the Diocese of Bruges during the aftermath of the French Revolution.
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St Donatian's Church (Dutch: Sint-Donaaskerk) was built by Arnulf I, Count of Flanders, c. 950 AD,[4] in order to house the relics of Saint Donatian that had been brought to Bruges in c. 870 AD by monks from Torhout.[2] The church was built in the Romanesque architectural style.[3] There was an octagonal main building, with a tower and a sixteen-sided ambulatory.[1] The building stood on the Burg square, across from the Stadhuis (city hall). St Donatian's Church became a cathedral following the installation of the first Bishop of Bruges in 1562.[4] [note 1] St. Donatian's was destroyed in 1799 by occupying forces of the French First Republic.[1] The former site of St Donatian's is now occupied by the Crowne Plaza Brugge Hotel;[1] the foundations of the cathedral were uncovered in 1955[1] and are visible in the hotel's cellars.[4]