Crypt & Basilica group excursion

City Tour "Onze Vrijheid" - groups

Visit Ronse organizes the guided City Tour "Onze Vrijheid". A city guide takes visitors through the historic site 'De Vrijheid'. Reservations for groups through Visit Ronse.

The Saint Hermes Basilica & Crypt are being thoroughly restored.

St Hermes' Crypt is undoubtedly the showpiece of the city. Crypts are a typical feature of Romanesque-Gothic architecture; they are used to store the relics of a saint. In the case of Ronse, the relics are those of St Hermes, who was invoked against nervous and mental disorders. St Hermes is depicted as a Roman officer on his horse. There is a life-size equestrian statue of him above the shrine in the the Saint-Hermes Basilica. In the crypt, you get an idea of how pilgrims searching for healing were treated. The 11th century crypt has been renovated and expanded. It has an impressive 32 pillars, making it the largest crypt in Western Europe.

Practical:

• Meet-up: Hoge Mote, De Biesestraat 2
• Duration: 1h30
• Price: €70 (guide) + €3.50 entrance per person (residents of Ronse free of charge)
• Distance: ± 1 km
• Maximum 20 visitors per guide
• Partly accessible for the disabled
• Visits to the basilica are always subject to ceremonies

The next restoration phase will start on 1 November 2023. As a result, the crypt will be closed from 1 November 2023 to 31 May 2024.