Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal or Cathedral of Our Lady is one of the most impressive and largest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe, built in 1353 - 1521.
Ravaged by the fire of 1533, and ransacked by Calvinist Protestants and French revolutionaries, the church had a tumultuous past before it was restored in the 19th - 20th centuries.
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal or Cathedral of Our Lady is one of the most impressive and largest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe, built in 1353 - 1521.
Ravaged by the fire of 1533, and ransacked by Calvinist Protestants and French revolutionaries, the church had a tumultuous past before it was restored in the 19th - 20th centuries. The Brabant Gothic cathedral has a 123 m high north spire which is the tallest in the Benelux. It is a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Belfries of Belgium and France. The interiors of the Cathedral have Baroque elements from the late 16th century after Antwerp fell to the Spaniards, and Neo-Classical elements from the post-French revolution years. There are 55 stained glass windows, of which Nicolas Rombouts’ Last Supper is the most well-known. Among the works of art in the Cathedral are masterpieces by Rubens including The Elevation of the Cross and The Descent from the Cross triptychs, The Resurrection of Christ, and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Other highlights of the cathedral are ●a 14th century Carrara marble statue of Madonna and Child by the anonymous Master of the Maasland marble Madonnas, ●16th century statue of Our Lady of Antwerp in the Mary chapel, ●18th century gilded Rococo tabernacle in the form of the Ark of the Covenant on the altar of the Guild of the Most Holy Sacrament, and ●the Metzier organ installed in 1993.
Guided tours of the Cathedral are available Monday through Saturday at 11 am and 2.15 pm all year round, and additionally at 3.45 pm in July – August on weekdays.