Historical churches

Cathedral of our Lady

The Cathedral of Our Lady - which became a cathedral in 1559 - has its origins in a 12th century chapel. Work on the present Cathedral started in 1352 and throughout its history the church suffered from fire and plundering. Today the Cathedral is part of the beautiful heritage of Antwerp and hosts numerous treasures such as several Rubens paintings. For more information and a virtual visit of the church, please visit its website.

St. Paul's Church

St. Paul's Church dates back to 1571. It was also devastated by fire and war and restored several times throughout the history. The church hosts more than 50 paintings and 200 sculptures, and beautiful baroque altars and carved church furnishings. In St. Paul's Church, you can admire paintings by Rubens, van Dyck, Jordaens, Teniers, De Vos, Verbruggen, and many others. For contact information and opening hours, read this page.

St. Andrew's Church

Saxon Augustinian monks founded St. Andrew’s Church, which first served as a monastery. The iconoclasm, the French Revolution and many other wars in the town have also left a mark on the history of St. Andrew's Church. Between 1970 and 1975, the church underwent a complete restoration and today you can admire its beautiful stained glass windows, an impressive 17th century altar, and the most popular Antwerp pulpit dating from 1821. For contact information and opening hours, read this page.

St. James Church

Antwerp’s merchants and members of the aristocracy built St. James Church between 1491 and 1656. Inside the church, more than one hundred sorts of carefully crafted marble are to be found, as well as works by the city's greatest artists. The main attraction, however, remains the tomb of Pieter Paul Rubens, which lies behind the main altar in the Chapel of Our Lady. For contact information and opening hours, read this page.

St. Carolus Borromeus Church

The Jesuits built St. Carolus Borromeus Church between 1615 and 1621 and, at that time, Rubens decorated most of the interior and the outside walls. However, much of his work was lost in a fire in 1718 but the altar and the Mary Chapel remained intact. A special attraction of this church is the painting above the altar. The painting changes regularly activated by an original mechanism. For contact information and opening hours, read this page.

Other churches

Antwerp is also house to other historical churches, however less monumental than the ones presented above. If you are interested, please visit their websites.



	Historical churches Cathedral of our Lady The Cathedral of Our Lady - which became a cathedral in 1559 - has its origins in a 12th century chapel. Work on the present Cathedral started in 1352 and throughout its history the church suffered from fire and plundering. Today the Cathedral is part of the beautiful heritage of Antwerp and hosts numerous treasures such as several Rubens paintings. For more information and a virtual visit of the church, please visit its website. St. Paul's Church St. Paul's Church dates back to 1571. It was also devastated by fire and war and restored several times throughout the history. The church hosts more than 50 paintings and 200 sculptures, and beautiful baroque altars and carved church furnishings. In St. Paul's Church, you can admire paintings by Rubens, van Dyck, Jordaens, Teniers, De Vos, Verbruggen, and many others. For contact information and opening hours, read this page. St. Andrew's Church Saxon Augustinian monks founded St. Andrew’s Church, which first served as a monastery. The iconoclasm, the French Revolution and many other wars in the town have also left a mark on the history of St. Andrew's Church. Between 1970 and 1975, the church underwent a complete restoration and today you can admire its beautiful stained glass windows, an impressive 17th century altar, and the most popular Antwerp pulpit dating from 1821. For contact information and opening hours, read this page. St. James Church Antwerp’s merchants and members of the aristocracy built St. James Church between 1491 and 1656. Inside the church, more than one hundred sorts of carefully crafted marble are to be found, as well as works by the city's greatest artists. The main attraction, however, remains the tomb of Pieter Paul Rubens, which lies behind the main altar in the Chapel of Our Lady. For contact information and opening hours, read this page. St. Carolus Borromeus Church The Jesuits built St. Carolus Borromeus Church between 1615 and 1621 and, at that time, Rubens decorated most of the interior and the outside walls. However, much of his work was lost in a fire in 1718 but the altar and the Mary Chapel remained intact. A special attraction of this church is the painting above the altar. The painting changes regularly activated by an original mechanism. For contact information and opening hours, read this page. Other churches Antwerp is also house to other historical churches, however less monumental than the ones presented above. If you are interested, please visit their websites. St. Ann's chapel The chapel of Our Lady of Refuge		Cathedral of Our Lady St. James Church St. James Church