The sponsor of the chapel was François de Tassis, postmaster general of the Netherlandsunder Philip the Handsome, the sovereign of the Netherlands who became king of Spain through his marriage to Joanna of Castile. The position of postmaster general became hereditary in 1516 when Charles V became sovereign. Tassi is the plural of tasso, meaning ‘badger’ in Italian. The animal appears in the family coats of arms. In Belgium, we often say ‘Taxis’, which is the German form, but the name was not changed until much later when the family left Brussels for Germany.

Lamoral de la Tour et Tassis ordered the famous architect Lucas Fayd’herbe to build the monumental portal in the 17th century, and also added an octagonal chapel behind. The sculptures of the monumental portal are attributed to Matthieu Van Beveren. Two cherubs hold a cartouche with the inscription ‘Monumentum Familiae Principum de la Tour et Tassis’. The two allegories, Constancy and Fidelity, are an allusion to the family motto Perpetua fide. We can see the bust of Saint Ursula by Grupello. The saint was a young girl from the 4th century. To avoid marrying a pagan, she joined 10 virgins on a pilgrimage to Rome. Returning through Cologne, they were massacred by Huns who were then invading Europe. At the top, is the family coat of arms surrounded by two heraldic lions.

sees the bust of Saint Ursula, by Grupello. The saint is a 4th-century girl who, to avoid marrying a pagan, set off with ten virgins on a pilgrimage to Rome. Returning via Cologne, they were massacred by the Huns who invaded Europe at the time. At the top, is the family coat of arms surrounded by two heraldic lions.

The interior of the chapel is entirely covered in black marble – it served as a sepulchral chapel – and decorated with superb Carrara marble statues. Alongside Lucas Fayd’herbe, we find the most famous Dutch sculptors of the 17th century: Matthieu Van Beveren, Jérôme Duquesnoy the Younger, Gabriel de Grupello and Jan van Delen. The first room of the chapel is square, while the second is octagonal. As there was a contract problem with architect Lucas Fayd’herbe, the completion of the chapel was entrusted to VincentAnthony, architect and engineer of the Court. In the first room, we can admire on the right the dazzling funerary monument of Lamoral II de la Tour et Tassis, by Antwerp sculptor Matthieu Van Beveren in 1678. The monument is a copy of the frontispiece of Jules Chifflet’s book, ‘Les Marques d’Honneur de la Maison de Tassis’, exalting the genealogy of the family. Chifflet traced the family back to the della Torre, an ancient Milanese family. We see ‘La Virtue’ dressed in Roman style holding a gold cord, supporting a medallion with the marks of honour of the Tassis, which ‘Le Temps’ tries to tear off. In the centre, ‘La Renommée’ blows a Theban trumpet. Lamoral II received the title of Count de la Tour Valsassine et Tassis, and in 1681, his son Eugène was made prince by King Charles II of Spain. Opposite this monument is the epitaph of Anne-Françoise Eugénie de Hornes, wife of Lamoral de Tassis. It is attributed to Jan van Delen. Reliquaries are embedded in the walls of the chapel and we notice numerous brass lettering. The dome is in imitation marble. The support is temporary but essential for stability. A pretty wrought iron gate, the work of architect Jules-Jacques Van Ysendyck, separates the two parts of the chapel. In the second part of the chapel, above the altar dating from the 19th century, is the Carrara marble statue of Saint Ursula by Jérôme Duquesnoy the Younger (1602-1654). (1602-1654). His father was better known for having sculpted the Manneken-Pis, a statuette that has become a symbol of Brussels. The statues in the four niches represent the three theological virtues, as well as the Truth. Hope is attributed to Gabriel de Grupello, Truth to Jan van Delen. The Charité, also by Jan van Delen, was stolen, like the fourth, during French Revolutionary Wars occupation. The Charité was discovered at auction in London in 2012. Thanks to the great generosity of the King Baudouin Foundation, and in particular its heritage fund, it was recovered and returned to its original place. Grupello is the author of the adorable little angels on the left and right of the chapel, representing the Genie of Life, and opposite, the Genie of Death (extinguished torch turned downwards). The cherubs placed higher up on the cornice are less graceful. They have not been attributed with certainty but are perhaps the work of Duquesnoy. In their hands they hold either an hourglass, a book, or even overturned torches evoking the ephemeral nature of life.At the top of the dome is a lantern decorated with armorial scrolls, almost all from princely families. In the upper section, is a continuation of the number L for Lamoral, who so hoped to be able to join them. It was his son Eugene who was elevated to the rank of prince.

Under the chapel is a closed crypt where around 15 members of the family are buried. In 1928, Prince Albert de Tour and Tassis had it opened one last time. The disordered bones, ransacked by the French revolutionaries, were gathered to give them a more dignified rest in a concrete sarcophagus. A large stone at the entrance to the chapel was located above the entrance to the crypt. Ostium means opening.
The chapel and the two portals have been completely restored thanks to subsidies fromthe City of Brussels.