The Adoration of the Lamb is =by far the most important thing= to be seen at Ghent. But it is viewed at some disadvantage in the church, and is so full of figures and meaning that it cannot be taken in without long study. I strongly advise you, therefore, to buy a =photograph= of the _entire composition_ =beforehand=, and try to understand as much as possible of the picture by comparing it with the account here given, the =evening before= you visit the picture. You will then be able more readily to grasp the actual work, in form and colour, when you see it. The Cathedral is open daily (for viewing the pictures, etc.) from 5 to 12, and from 3.30 to 6. Between 12 and 3.30 you can also get in by knocking loudly on the door in the West Front.] Go straight from your hotel to the Cathedral,—built as the parish church of St. John about 1250-1300; re-dedicated to St. Bavon, 1540; erected into a Bishop’s see, 1599. Stand before the =West Front= at a little distance, to examine the simple but massive architecture of the tower and _façade_. The =great portal= has been robbed of the statues which once adorned its niches. Three have been “restored”: they represent, centre, the Saviour; L., the patron, St. Bavon, recognisable by his falcon, his sword as duke, and his book as monk; he wears armour, with a ducal robe and cap above it; R., St. John the Baptist, the earlier patron. Then, walk, to the right, round the south side, to observe the external architecture of the Nave, Aisles, and Choir. The latter has the characteristic rounded or apsidal termination of Continental Gothic, whereas English Gothic has usually a square end. Enter by the S. portal. The =interior=, with single Aisles and short Transepts, (Early Gothic) is striking for its simple dignity, its massive pillars, and its high arches, though the undeniably noble effect of the whole is somewhat marred to English eyes by the unusual appearance of the unadorned brick walls and vaulting. The _pulpit_, by Delvaux (1745), partly in oak, partly in marble, represents Truth revealing the Christian Faith to astonished Paganism (figured as an old and outworn man:) it is a model of all that should be avoided in plastic or religious art. The _screen_ which separates the Choir from the Transepts is equally unfortunate. The apsidal end of the Choir, however, with its fine modern stained glass, forms a very pleasing feature in the general _coup d’œil_. Begin the examination in detail with the left or =N. Aisle=. The _1st chapel_, that of the Holy Cross, contains a Pietà by Janssens and a Descent from the Cross by Rombouts, good works of the school of Rubens. The _3rd chapel_, that of St. Macarius or St. Macaire (an object of local worship whom we shall meet again elsewhere at Ghent), has a modern statue of the saint, and a pleasing decoration in polychrome. The right or =S. Aisle= has nothing of importance.