The Cathedral of the Mother of God

Our Lady Cathedral, located in the Belgian city of Antwerp, became the main church of the Antwerp Bishopric in 1559.

The cathedral was laid on the site of a church of the XII century, built in the Romanesque style, in 1352 by a certain master Jean Amel, who bequeathed his business to his son Peter. The cathedral was built slowly, and its construction was completed only in 1521.

The impossible tower of the Cathedral of Our Lady - the Benelux Tower, can be seen from afar. Its top is 123 meters. The temple is decorated with three towers. North is a bell tower with 40 active bells. The South and Lantern are only visible from the outside.

During iconoclasm in the XVI century were destroyed many details of the interior of the cathedral: glass windows, paintings, relics, tombs and dozens of altars. From the original decoration there are only a few frescoes and an image of the Madonna from marble of the XIV century. Some wall paintings date back to the fifteenth century. The majestic revered statue of the “Antwerp Mother of God”, standing in the chapel of the Virgin Mary, dates back to the sixteenth century. Also in the cathedral hang 4 works of the world-famous artist Peter Paul Rubens.

The Cathedral of Our Lady played a significant role in the history of world music, since the works of many famous composers were created and played within these walls. The temple has two organs, the age of the “elder” is more than a hundred years, and the area is three floors. The second body was established in 1993.

The Cathedral of Our Lady is not only a functioning church, but also a multifaceted museum, annually attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world.