Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp is a real monument of history and culture that has survived to this day. One of its three towers, the north one, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a monument of global importance, although the entire cathedral is of great value to society. The interiors and details of the cathedral are part of history: stained glass windows, numerous paintings, furniture, altars, various wall decorations ─ these are traces of time, and people take care of them.

History

Since the 12th century, on the site of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp there was a small chapel of the Mother of God, a little later it was replaced by a larger church. And in the second half of the 14th century, construction began on the Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp. Some believe that even today it is still not completed. The construction process lasted for many decades, years passed, architects replaced each other. It is interesting that many sons began working on the cathedral after the death of their fathers.

According to the original plan, the external facade was to be decorated with two majestic towers. Today there is only one such tower, and that makes it more valuable. It is decorated with a small structure on top and a cross, and in the central part there is a beautiful clock. Only a part of the second tower remains; it is also crowned with a small spire. In the central part, a kind of tower is made in the form of a right angle. The history of Notre Dame Cathedral in Antwerp is intertwined with the history of the city. In 1533, when the cathedral was considered almost completed, a severe fire occurred, it damaged part of the building, and it was this that slowed down the construction of the second tower. During the French occupation, the temple was looted and they even wanted to burn it, but Napoleon intervened and the cathedral remained intact. The building was also damaged during the Second World War. The second part of the 20th century turned out to be quite calm for the cathedral; it was completely restored, many relics were returned to its walls.

Attractions

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp is striking both in its appearance and in its interior; it represents an example of Gothic architecture, albeit with numerous elements of other styles brought here by various masters. The cathedral organ appeared here in the 19th century, thanks to a generous donation, and since then it has been actively used during services and ceremonies. Most of the parts remain original, but some were replaced during restoration and repair work.

In the Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp, paintings by Rubens have been exhibited for a long time, among them “The Elevation of the Cross”, “The Resurrection”, “The Descent from the Cross”, “The Resurrection” and “The Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary”. From the very beginning of construction there has been a marble Madonna and Child, made by an unknown artist. Along with it, the wooden sculpture of the Mother of God is protected; no matter what, it survived and remained unharmed.