Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp,Belgium

The cathedral stands on the site of the smaller Chapel of Our Lady, which was in use from the 9th to the 12th Century.  During the 12th Century it was replaced by a larger Romanesque church.  The foundations of the Romanesque church still remain, but in 1352 construction of a new church began, which would be built in the latest gothic fashion.  This replaced the Romanesque church and would come to be the largest gothic church in what was, at the time, part of the Netherlands.   

The Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp has been repaired and refurnished so many times throughout history, that it really is a shell of its former self. The restoration work means that today it is made up of various architectural styles, from gothic to rococo.  Its origins are 14th Century, but we need to look under the layers of restoration to discover this. 

In 1521, after 170 years of building work, the Church of Our Lady was completed. This completion lasted only 12 years when in 1533 its interior was destroyed by fire.  All efforts were again put towards its restoration. The church become the seat of the Bishop of Antwerp in 1559, at which point the church became a Cathedral. The word Cathedral coming from the actual chair used by a Bishop, which is known as a Cathedra.

The fire of 1533 was only the first disaster to occur. Just 33 years later, during the Iconoclasm of 1566, Protestants destroyed the majority of the interior.  Antwerp came under Protest administration in 1581, and what treasures the Cathedral still possessed were once again destroyed, removed or sold. During the French Revolution in 1794, the region was again conquered and the Cathedral was plundered and seriously damaged.  

While Antwerp was under French administration in the late 18th Century, the idea to demolish it completely was considered, but thankfully never achieved.  The Cathedral began to recover after some of its important works of art were returned from Paris, among these were three works by Rubens. Over the 19th Century the Cathedral was restored, but what we are left with is a mismatch of styles. 

Some of its wall paintings date from the 15th century, but they are overshadowed today by the four baroque masterpieces by Rubens. Peter Paul Rubens lived from 1577-1640, and is credited with renewing Flemish art of the 17th Century. He quickly achieved international fame, and executed numerous artistic commissions for the church, as well as private citizens. He worked for the Archduke Albert of Austria and his wife the Infanta Isabella, the Spanish Kings Philip III and Philip IV, as well as the royal houses of England and France. Today Rubens is considered one of the greatest artists of history.