<P> The side aisles contain 17th - century confessional - boxes in oak by Jan van Delen . </P> <P> At the end of the nineties, Brussels ornithologists discovered a couple of peregrine falcons hibernating on top of the towers of the St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral in the centre of Brussels . In 2001, ornithologists of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) in association with the Fonds d'Intervention pour les Rapaces installed a laying - nest on the edifice in an attempt to encourage nest - building . This laying - nest was never used, but in the spring of 2004, a pair of falcons nested on a balcony on top of the cathedral's northern tower . At the beginning of March, the female laid three eggs . </P> <P> As a result of watching the three chicks perform acrobatic feats on the cathedral's gargoyles at the end of May 2004, the project "Falcons for everyone" was developed by the RBINS in association with the Commission Ornithologique de Watermael - Boitsfort . The project installed cameras with a live video stream on their website . </P> <P> It serves as the co-cathedral of the Archbishop of Mechlin - Brussels, the Primate of Belgium, who is currently Archbishop Jozef De Kesel . Due to its importance and its location in the national capital, it is often used for Catholic ceremonies of national interest, such as royal marriages and state funerals . For example, in 1999 it was the setting for the wedding of Prince Philippe and Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz . </P>

The cathedral of st michael and st gudula