Antwerp Cathedral

The towering Cathedral of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal) in Antwerp is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and the largest church in Benelux. Antwerp Cathedral also shelters four magnificent Rubens altarpieces.

Begun in 1352 and completed by around 1520, the Cathedral of Our Lady stands on the site of a 10th-century chapel dedicated to the Virgin and a subsequent Romanesque church.

The history of Antwerp's cathedral is turbulent to say the least. It includes:

The Gothic cathedral of Antwerp has seven aisles and 125 pillars. Of the planned five towers, only one was completed. But that tower is the tallest church spire in the Low Countries at 123m (403 ft.) high, and the fact that the designers planned to construct five of them is a powerful illustration of the wealth and power of medieval Antwerp.

Antwerp Cathedral's interior is an impressive sight, with sweeping Gothic lines and soaring vaults, all in gleaming white. The furnishings are a mix of Baroque and Neoclasssical styles. The cathedral houses four Rubens altarpieces:

Nicolas Rombouts' Last Supper (1503) stained-glass window, is also outstanding. Among many other notable works of art is a superb Madonna and Child (ca. 1350) in Carrrara marble, by the anonymous "Master of the Maasland Marble Madonnas."