Cathedral of Our Lady

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwe-Kathedraal

As early as in the 9th or 10th century a chapel was built where the current cathedral now stands, just south of the main market square. In 1132, eight years after the founding of a new parish dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a Romanesque church was built on the site of the old Carolingian chapel. This church was continuously expanded during the 13th and 14th centuries, and after the start of the construction of the cathedral it was gradually dismantled. In 1485, the towers, the last vestiges of the Romanesque church, were torn down.

In 1352 work started on plans to convert the existing church into the largest Gothic church in the low countries. Construction started with the choir on the east side and ended with the towers on the west side. The plans were constantly changed and became more and more ambitious as time went on. The original plans called for a nave with five bays but between 1454 and 1469 this was expanded to seven bays and later the transept was expanded with another bay as well. In 1521, 170 years after the first stone was laid, the church was finally ready for use. Meanwhile, completion of the south tower was put on hold.

But the ambition and aspirations of the city were growing during what was the start of its Golden Age, and starting in 1500 plans were made to build a much larger church: the choir would even be quadrupled in size! In 1521, the same year the church was completed following the original plans, the first stone of this new church – which would have been the largest building on earth – was laid by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. This megalomaniac project, known simply as ‘New Work’, never came to fruition due to a decrease in funding, as well as a disastrous fire in 1533 which destroyed the ceiling and furniture and caused significant flood damage. By then only the foundations were finished. You can still see the contours of this ‘New Church’ in the street plan on satellite images.

In 1559 a new bishopric was created for Antwerp, which promoted the church to the status of cathedral. The cathedral’s interior was completely ravaged and pillaged during the iconoclastic fury of 1566. Stained-glass windows, statues, monumental graves and relics were all destroyed by Calvinists. This was followed in 1578 by a period of Calvinist repression during which the walls, which used to be decorated with colorful murals, were whitewashed and the altars destroyed.

The fall of Antwerp in 1585 led to the Contra-Reformation, during which the church was redecorated in the Baroque style. In 1610-1614 the wooden vaulting of the nave was rebuilt in stone.

The cathedral then went through another dark period, starting in 1794, under French occupation, when its artwork was looted by French troops and it was even used as a horse riding school. In 1801 the building lost its title as a cathedral but plans to demolish it were fortunately thwarted by the city architect Jan Blom. The church was reconsecrated in 1802 but wouldn’t regain its title as a cathedral until 1961.

In the late 19th century the building was restored and some alterations were made following the original design. The transept was modified in the Neo-Gothic style and many of the sculptures on the portals date from this period. Restoration works continued until 1986.

Despite the 170-year-long construction period, the architecture of the church is remarkably consistent in a Brabantian Late Gothic type of architecture that is known as the Flamboyant style. This style is characterized by its ornate and intricate decorations. Napoleon even compared the intricately decorated spire with bobbin lace.

The cathedral was built by a long list of architects, starting with Jan Appelmans and Jacob van Tienen, who were in charge of the construction of the choir. They were succeeded by Pieter Appelmans, who, together with his father Jan, is now credited as the main architect of the cathedral. In 1906-1914 local sculptor Jef Lambeaux built a monument in their honor. You can find it on the right side of the main portal, against the base of the south tower.

They in turn were succeeded by master builder Jan Tac, who in 1439 was succeeded by Everaert Spoorwater, a successful architect who also worked on several other churches in the Netherlands, including the Grote Kerk (Great Church) in Dordrecht. After his death in 1473 construction was supervised by Herman de Waghemakere, who, in 1503, was succeeded by his son Domien de Waghemakere. He completed the cathedral in 1521.

Even today, the dimensions of the cathedral are impressive. Due to height restrictions it is still – more than 500 years after its construction – the tallest building in the city. It is also the tallest Gothic church in the Low Countries.

The floorplan shows a cross-shaped design with a length of 117 meters and a width of 65 meters at its widest point (384 x 213 ft.), which allows space for 25000 people even though the official seating capacity is 2400. The main nave features seven aisles divided by 30 pillars that support the cross-ribbed vaults.

Since construction started with the choir on the east side the west towers were built last. The west front was built between 1422 and 1474.

The foundations for the north tower were laid in 1419 and by 1501 the base part of the tower was completed. The octagonal part of the tower, designed by Herman de Waghemakere, was built in 1507. The tower was finally complete in 1518 when his son Domien de Waghemakere realized its magnificent spire, which, even today, reigns over the city with a height of 123 meters (404 feet). The ornaments on the spire become more and more elaborate and detailed the closer the spire is to the sky.

The cathedral has a carillon with forty-seven bells, the largest of which is known as Karolus. It was cast in 1507 and weighs 6,434 kilograms (over 14,000 pounds). The bell was dedicated to the later Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Charles V, who was only seven years old at the time.

The foundations for the south tower were placed together with those of the nave, in 1430. Construction of the tower was halted in 1475 when it was covered with a temporary wooden shale roof. The intention was to complete the tower later, but the fire of 1533 and the rise of Calvinism eventually meant that the plans were shelved, leaving its height at just 65.3 meters (214 feet).

The main, west facade was built between 1458 and 1492. The sculpted decorations we see today are much more recent: until the 18th century the main portal was decorated with colorful paintings. They were replaced at the end of the 19th century by sculptures. The tympanum was completed as recently as 1903 and depicts the «Last Judgment».

There are almost no traces left of the original Gothic interior. During its long lifespan, the cathedral has been looted twice: first during the iconoclasm, when the interior was completely destroyed, and again during the French occupation, when all furniture and artwork was looted or sold off. Some of it has been returned but several of today’s most important works inside the cathedral come from abbeys and churches that had been demolished or dissolved during the French occupation.

The first impression when entering the cathedral is that of a vast area forested with tall pillars. The main nave alone features 48 massive pillars. The nave is sparsely decorated and is mostly a hall that you walk through on your way to the choir.

Despite all the plundering there are some major works of art inside the cathedral, not in the least the four canvases painted by master artist Peter Paul Rubens.

The most famous of those four is «Descent from the Cross», the central panel of a triptych which was painted by Rubens in 1612-1614. The triptych, which hangs in the south transept, is considered one of his masterpieces. This is one of the paintings that were removed in 1794 by French occupying forces and sent to the Louvre. It was returned in 1815 after Napoleon’s defeat.

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Another large Rubens painting, «Raising of the Cross», can be admired in a similar spot opposite the crossing. It covers the same theme and was painted in 1610-1611. It is part of a large triptych that was originally placed in the historic Church of St. Walburga, which was closed in 1798 by the French government and later demolished. The triptych moved to the Louvre but was later returned to Antwerp and placed in the cathedral.

Besides two more Rubens paintings – the main altarpiece «Assumption of the Virgin» (1626) and the «Moretustriptych» (1612) in the chapel of Our Lady of Peace in the south ambulatory – there are many more paintings from lesser known artists. Some of the more interesting ones include «Assumption of the Virgin» (1647) by Cornelis Schut in the crossing and «Christ among the Scribes», a masterpiece from 1587 by Frans Francken the Elder that hangs in the north transept. The latter shows a theme from the Counter-Reformation in which a 12-year-old Jesus lectures scribes in a temple. Two of these are thought to represent Luther and Calvin: Jesus re-educates them to put them back on the right track.

Even though most of the walls are now painted white you can still get a glimpse of what they must have looked like when the church first opened its doors in 1521. Near the entrance of the sacristy you can see a polychrome wall painting that was rediscovered during restorations. The painting depicts the «Man of Sorrows» and was created at the end of the 15th century.

You can also find several interesting sculptures in the cathedral. The oldest one is a marble statue from around 1350 that depicts «Madonna and Child». It is attributed to an anonymous artist who worked in Liège. It was not part of the original patrimony; it was a donation received in 1866.

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The Lady Chapel in the north aisle features a statue known as «The Lady of Antwerp», an almost life-size walnut statue of Mary. It is one of the very few works of art in the church that predates the iconoclasm of 1566. The base is decorated with the symbols of the four evangelists. In this chapel you can also find an altar that was reassembled in 1886 from the original panels created in 1687 by Artus Quellin the Younger and Pieter Verbrugghen.

Funerary monuments were built in the cathedral for five of the seven first bishops of Antwerp. All but one were destroyed by French occupiers. The one tomb they did not destroy was sent to Paris but returned to the cathedral after the Napoleonic wars. It can now be found at the entrance of the sacristy. The statue was created in 1676 by Artus Quellinus the Younger who was influenced by Bernini. It depicts Bishop Capello in a lying position with at his feet a putti holding a shield.

But the most important funerary monument in the cathedral is that of Isabella of Bourbon, wife of Charles the Bold. After her death in 1465 she was buried in the St. Michael’s Abbey in Antwerp. Her daughter had a large black funerary monument created for her that consisted of an effigy of Isabella resting on a sarcophagus surrounded by 24 bronze statues of weepers. The abbey was closed during the French occupation and later demolished. The monument was broken up and a large part is now lost. In 1872 the effigy was installed in the Antwerp cathedral and in 1951 it was discovered that ten statues in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam that were thought to be Dutch noblemen, were actually weepers of Isabella’s tomb. Another weeper is in Warsaw, Poland. Isabella’s remains however are still lost.

You can also admire some beautiful wood sculptures, both in the choir and in the north aisle, where oak paneling with six confessionals decorates the walls. The confessionals were originally made in 1713 in a High Baroque style by Willem Kerricx and Michiel Van der Voort the Elder for the Cistercian abbey of St. Bernard. During the French Revolution, the abbey was shut down and its church demolished so its artwork was distributed to other churches. The statues on the confessionals represent the twelve apostles with twelve female figures.

There are two large pipe organs in the cathedral. The most impressive of these two is the Schyven Organ in the narthex. It measures 14.4 meters in height and 10.5 meters in width (47 x 34 feet). The casing dates back to 1657 and was designed by Erasmus Quellin the Younger. The sculptures depicting St. Cecilia and angels on the casing were made by Pieter Verbrugghen. In 1891 Pieter Schyven built a completely new organ with 5,770 pipes behind the Baroque casing. This organ is suited for music from the 19th century.

For classical music a new organ was placed near the west end of the choir. This instrument is very recent and was built by the Swiss Metzler company. It is particularly suited for works by Johann Sebastian Bach.