The
Cathedral of Notre Dame, symbol of Antwerp,
is the largest Gothic structure
in the Benelux countries. Distinguished by it's asymetrical
towers, one tall, one short, de Kathedraal is famed for housing
four paintings of the Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens. Of
the four Rubens paintings on display, three were specially
made for the Antwerp Cathedral.
It is known that during the 10th century, a chapel in honour
of Our Lady was located where the Cathedral currently stands.
When the parish was established, a Romanesque church was
constructed in the early 12th Century. Between 1350 and 1520,
de Kathedraal was constructed on the location of the Romanesque
church. Originally it was designed with five aisles, but
now contains seven. During Antwerps Golden Age, which coincided
with the construction of the church, the Guilds became powerful
and donated money to the Churchs construction in order to
demonstrate their piety. In total, 57 alters were donated
necessitating the expansion to seven aisles. Usually, the
towers of a church mark the outer edges of the church. In
the case of the Antwerp Cathedral, they are aligned with
the outer most columns which mark the planned outer edge
of the Cathedral. The additional two aisles are on the outside
of each tower. During the invasion by French revolutionaries,
who adopted a highly-rational approach questioning the need
for the Church (both physically and spiritually), much of
the art work inside was taken to the Louvre in Paris but
was later returned under the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte.
In
the late 16th Century, the Cathedral was decorated in the
Baroque style, which Rubens was to play a notable part in.
During the 18th and 19th Century, the Cathedral was to be
decorated in the Neo-styles - most notably the Neo-Gothic
style. Through the 20th Century, a programme of restoration
was undertaken. The western façade, the portals and
the towers were tackled first, followed by the interior,
the nave and the choir. Restoration of the chapels and further
exterior restorations are being undertaken or are on the
agenda.
Antwerp - de Kathedraal
It is known that during the 10th century, a chapel in honour of Our Lady was located where the Cathedral currently stands. When the parish was established, a Romanesque church was constructed in the early 12th Century. Between 1350 and 1520, de Kathedraal was constructed on the location of the Romanesque church. Originally it was designed with five aisles, but now contains seven. During Antwerps Golden Age, which coincided with the construction of the church, the Guilds became powerful and donated money to the Churchs construction in order to demonstrate their piety. In total, 57 alters were donated necessitating the expansion to seven aisles. Usually, the towers of a church mark the outer edges of the church. In the case of the Antwerp Cathedral, they are aligned with the outer most columns which mark the planned outer edge of the Cathedral. The additional two aisles are on the outside of each tower. During the invasion by French revolutionaries, who adopted a highly-rational approach questioning the need for the Church (both physically and spiritually), much of the art work inside was taken to the Louvre in Paris but was later returned under the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte.
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