 | Antwerp Cathedral/Kathedraal Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 138 |  |
The olv cathedral is almost in the middle of the old part of the city. Parts of it are still being preserved but the overall sight of it is beautiful. The glass windows and the constant climate inside make you forget you’re in the middle of busy Antwerp. You can walk around and see the gothic craftsmanship and the Catholic art. You can also, like in every Catholic Church, light a candle for a loved one.
It costs 2 euro to enter the church and it closes at three o’clock in the afternoon. Leave a Comment
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The days of the French terror.
In 1794, the French Revolution ended the Austrian period in Belgium.
Belgium became a part of France at that would last until 1814/1815) and got ruled by Napoleon.
The first period1794-1799 of this occupation was devastating and stressful for the Catholics institutions. There was an uprising from the peasant?s population against this French governmental repression that is called ?De Boerenkrijg?. But the emperor Napoleon managed to suppress it. Only after interfering of the pope, the tights were a bit loosened again.
Yet it was too late for many churches and monasteries, for the catholic patrimony in its broadest sense.
All churches but one (see more info at Saint Jacobs church tips), including the Cathedral, were closed. All the paintings, woodcraft, everything of the interior got confiscated and publicly sold.
Some of the paintings were ?donated? to what we know as the Royal Museum of Fine Arts.
It is one of three big ?donations? in its history.
The most valuable paintings where taken to France to be stocked at the Louvre.
After the liberation from the reign of France, most of the paintings came back, but not all!
Some stolen paintings remained in France and upon today they refuse to give them back to the rightful owner! You can read more about a specific painting later on the tips of the Saint Paulus Church. Theirs is till hanging in a church in France. And I thought the ?Church? at least would follow their 10 commandments: Thou shall not steal! So together with the ppl of Saint Paulus I hope for justice to be done. Leave a Comment
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A little southwards in the city, between the Kromme Elleboogstraat, the Kloosterstraat and the Goede Hoopstraat existed the well renomated Sint Michaels Abby. But because the Kanuninks no longer wanted to live under the very rigid rules of the Norbertins.. they moved towards the area on which Our-Ladies Chapel was built (estimated around 1124). Here, in 1132, they founded a new parish. Because this needed to have a bigger church then just a chapel, they started to build a Our Ladies Church in Romanesk style.
When you visit the present cathedral you still can go down the stairs and see some remainders of the old walls of the Romanesk church.
During the 13th and 14th centuries new parts were added to enlarge the building.
Originally the church was situated outside the very first city walls and there was a bridge that brought you from the Suikerrui (rui = a canal) to the Northern entrance of the cathedral...
It is called the Torfbrug.
You can still see the French street name on a stone on the house of the corner, a reminder of the French (bureaucratic) occupation in 18th Century.
At the maquette you can see the first part of the Romanesk church and the lines of the parts that has been added afterwards. Leave a Comment
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Between 1352 and 1521, almost two centuries!, the Cathedral enlarged until it reached present size: the biggest church of the Low Countries.
The works started at the choir and halted at the towers. These last ones never got finished along the original plans. The Brabant Gothic style however stood firm against the regular changing of plans and designs.
If you look from the Groenplaats at the church, then you will notice how all those small houses build around, follows the same shape as the middle part of the cathedral.
This is not coincidental. When they started to realize their plans to build this cathedral, they thought to make it much huger then the original one, so they made this huge surface of foundation.
Afterwards, because of several reasons, they decided they should keep it a bit smaller.
Then on the remaining foundation these houses are build... so they can be sure they will never sink into soft soil as they are build upon something that can hold a huge cathedral!
The picture at the left is taken during one of the Summer events in Antwerp. It is taken from the Market Square. The fountain(s) were added temporary, together with a temporary garden.
The picture at the right side is taken from the South side of the church, at the Groenplaats Leave a Comment
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Our Ladies Cathedral shared the same destiny. Everything changed owner. The only small side altar that is still in Antwerp is now at the Saint Jacobs church, but dressed up with another painting then the original one. It got saved because the buyer forgot to pick it up.
All the rest was gone! When the cathedral was completely empty, Napoleon used it as a housing for the horses of the French army.
As if this was not sad enough, the French had plans to demolish the cathedral and break it down till the very last stone! But? Jan Blom, who was the official city architect, managed by postponing and delaying things (the French were a bit bureaucratic LOL) to safe the Cathedral from disappearing. When the pope convinced Napoleon that it was better for the well being of the people (read to keep them calm) to be more tolerant towards the church, he became more tolerant. In 1802 the church was opened for ceremonies again.
Jan Blom's name is given to the small street next that takes you from the Groenplaats to the Handschoenmarkt, just next to the Cathedral. (It has a lot of Italian restaurants).
A part of the interior is recuperated and a lot of the patrimony of cloisters, monasteries and other churches that have been destroyed, has found a new location in the Cathedra, read more about it in tips about Saint Michael?s monastery.
We are so lucky that our Rubens paintings are back. We have four paintings of the master painter: the Moretus triptiek (1612); the Ascending of Our Lady (1625-1626); Jesus put at the cross (1610) and the descending of the cross (1611). Leave a Comment
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Reformation, contra reformation, enlighted despotism...
1566, the rage of the statues (beeldenstorm) took place, a revolution between poor and rich, catholic and protestant... and the angre was cooled on mostly the interior of churches and everything was smashed down, put on fire, destroyed.
(see more about it at the market tips and the pub the Eleventh Commandment)
1567, at the Northwestern side of Antwerp, a Protestant army was about to be defeated by the Spanish army. They wanted to safe themselves and knocked on the gate of Antwerp city. But in order to safe the population from retaliation and to prevent more blood shed, the city count Willem, refused to give shelter.
The battle is still called the Battle of Oosterweel and if I am not mistaken there is a painting of it in Plantin Moretus Museum, but I am not a 100 % sure.
Alva the Spanish butcher was sent to Antwerp. He gave orders to build a "citadel of suppression" at the Southern part of Antwerp. From there he could keep an eye on the revolution city.
All the Protestants were chased away or executed.
Two noble men: Egmond and Hoorn were captured and taken away to Brussels where they got beheaded.
When the city was cleared of everyone that wan?t catholic, the contra reformation was settling through.
The Gothic churches again gained importance and started to be redecorated.
The style practiced now was Baroque.
In 1780 Jozef II succeeded his mother Maria-Theresia. He was a real follower of the enlighten despotism. He put the church under governmental reign because he realised that the church was THE medium to reach the whole population. He cancelled all cloisters communities, closed certain churches, confiscated the pieces of arts and what was not publicly sold, he shipped to Vienna where these stolen goods are now one of the main attractions in the Vienna museum... stolen goods and never returned.
On this picture You see details of the pulpit of the Saint Bernardus abbey at Hemiksem Leave a Comment
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The Gothic Our Ladies Cathedral was designed along the classical French cathedrals of the 13th century.
She is 117 meter long and has a maximum with of 65 meter.
At the western part there a portal between the two unequal towers. One tower never got finished because they ran out of money.
A lesson they learned here and would remind when building new churches!
Instead of finishing with the tower and risk it never to end because of money problems and a tower was not considered that important... the next churches they would start to build with the tower... even with money problems.. what is a tower without a house of God? :-) so then there was always a pressure to get some fresh money to have the church finished.
Inside the church you will find many little chapels, mostly financed by gilts.
Misfortune struck the church when, except for the tower, burned down in 1533.
When in 1521 Charles the V inaugurated the first stone for a cathedral that would have been almost 4 times as big, this work was stopped, probably before that disastrous city fire in 1533.
The idea about such a huge project was to impress the people and to stimulate Catholicism against the developing Humanism.
Inside the cathedral is a maquet with the design exposed, especially developed for people with visual handicap.
The pillars and bows and walls are cut out in wood and at the "entrance" side there is an explication written in Braille. Leave a Comment
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The works at the West side started already in 1458 and got finished not earlier then 1492.
It contains a neo-gothic portal.
At the left picture you can see in between the two doors a statue of Our Lady.
At the other picture you can discover the figures of personages that needed to convert people back to Catholicism Leave a Comment
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It used to a small church in twelfth century but in fifteenth century it has become a cathedral. This gothic style cathedral is one of the best in Belgium. It has the highest tower of the city, which is 122 meter high, second highest church tower in Belgium.
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Do not forget to go inside the Onze Lieve Vrouwe cathedral, as here is another treasure to be seen. Actually, not only one, but quite a few. But - besides this museum-character - one should not loose the fact that it is first and above all a house of prayer. Please respect that and do not shout, cry out loud or start flashing while making pictures. Take the necessary respect in this house of God. Leave a Comment
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on September 6, 2004
on November 23, 2003
on June 11, 2004
on November 2, 2003
