As part of the public procurement opened by the Brussels-Capital Region, the CReA-Patrimoine of the Université libre de Bruxelles carried out, from July to September 2016, an intervention on the former convent of the Riches-Claires located in the islet bounded by the streets of the Riches-Claires, Saint-Christophe, Plétinckx and the Grande île in 1000 Brussels.
This study made it possible to establish in a precise way the general evolution, from the 17th to the 19th century, of the façades of the cloister and those of the buildings adjoining this space. It also allowed to discover some architectural elements of the cloister's walking space and to restore some original facade sections. In addition, these material observations made it possible to qualify an old hypothesis regarding the location and integration of a building from the convent of the Brothers of the Common Life to that of the Riches-Claires. Although this report does not include a historical study per se - which was carried out following the intervention of the Royal Museums of Arts and History in 1991 - it nevertheless focuses on the material study of the building in relation to the major events it has undergone over time. For example, the redevelopment of the southern and western wings following the breakthrough of rue Saint-Christophe in 1806 or the raising of a level of the façade on the Riches-Claires side in 1849.
Fig. 1. Orthophotogrammetry of the southern wing - South wall (CReA-P photogrammetric survey)