The Our Lady’s Cathedral of Antwerp, a revelation.
How a monument follows history
| GENERAL HISTORY | HISTORY OUR LADY’S CATHEDRAL | ||
| R
O M E |
Jesus is born in Bethlehem | 4 BC | |
| Jesus is crucified in Jerusalem Apostles spread Jesus’ message |
33 | ||
| Edict of Milan: freedom of worship for Christians | 313 | ||
| M
I D D L E
A G E S |
Eloy, Amand and Willibrord act as missionaries in Antwerp | 7th century | First small church devoted to Saints Peter and Paul |
| Viking raids | 837 | Repaired church devoted to Saint Michael | |
| Godfrey of Bouillon’s crusade | 1095-1099 | (later) legend of the Holy Prepuce | |
| 1e half 11th century |
(pre-Romanesque) Our Lady’s Chapel | ||
| 1124 | Foundation of Saint Michael’s Abbey | ||
| Ca. 1130 | Our Lady’s Chapel becomes a collegiate parish church | ||
| 1275 | Construction of Romanesque Our Lady’s church | ||
| 1289 | A Gothic chapel is added | ||
| 1352-1413 | Construction of the Gothic church choir | ||
| 1398 | Annual big procession on the Sunday after 15th August | ||
| Ca. 1420 | Foundations of the Northern tower | ||
| 1422 | Construction of the Northern tower; building site levelled up | ||
| Ca. 1430 | Foundations of the Southern tower; building site levelled up | ||
| 1455-1482 | Extension with a 5th and 6th aisle.: Chapels of Our Lady and the parish | ||
| 1460 | Construction of Our Lady’s cloisters for art trade | ||
| 1469 | Consecration of the parish chapel | ||
| 1478 | Founding of the Guild of Praise to Our Lady | ||
| 1482-1487 | Romanesque Northern tower pulled down Construction of the chapter’s sacristy, library and chaplains’ sacristy |
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| Maximilian of Austria gives privileges to Antwerp | 1488 | ||
| E
A R L Y
M O D E R N
E R A |
Christopher Columbus in America | 1492 | Nave and Southern transept accomplished |
| Trade treaties with England | 1496, 1502 | ||
| 1503 | Burgundian and English stained glass window in the magistrate’s chapel | ||
| Martin Luther makes his theses public in Wittenberg | 1517 | ||
| 1518-(1521) | Northern tower accomplished | ||
| 1521 | Emperor Charles V lays the foundation Stone of the ‘New Work’ | ||
| 1533 | Nave destroyed by fire; restoration of the nave; the ‘New Work’ is stopped |
||
| 1534 | Crowning of the crossing | ||
| Council of Trent | 1545-1563 | ||
| 1556 | Chapter of the Order of the Golden Fleece | ||
| Founding of the Antwerp diocese | 1559 | Our Lady’s Church becomes Our Lady’s Cathedral | |
| Iconoclast Fury | 1566 | Interior destroyed | |
| Calvinistic rule in Antwerp | 1577-1585 | ||
| Catholic service ‘suspended’ | 1581 | Church requisitioned for the Calvinists: interior ‘purified’ | |
| Farnese reconquers Antwerp for the Spanish authorities | 1585 | Church is consecrated anew for Catholic worship | |
| After 1585 | Restoration of the altars; triptychs are commissioned | ||
| Twelve Year’s Truce | 1609-1621 | ||
| 1609-1610 | Raising of the Cross (P.P. Rubens) | ||
| 1611-1612 | Funeral Monument Jan Moretus with The Resurrection (P.P. Rubens) | ||
| 1611-1614 | Descent from the Cross (P.P. Rubens) | ||
| 1613-1614 | The nave is vaulted | ||
| 1625-1626 | High altar: Our Lady’s Assumption (P.P. Rubens) | ||
| 1647 | Crossing: Our Lady’s assumption (Cornelis Schut) | ||
| Joseph II of Austria forbids burials in churches and urban centres | 1784 | ||
| Joseph II of Austria: brotherhoods are abolished | 1786 | New graveyards at Stuivenberg and Kiel | |
| M
O D E R N
E R A |
French Revolution | 1789 | |
| 1791 | The ‘Green Churchyard’ is cleared | ||
| Southern Netherlands occupied and | 1794 | Church silver is sold as war tax and Rubens’s paintings are requisitioned as war tribute and sent to the Louvre | |
| incorporated by France: anti-Catholic legislation |
1795 | ||
| Nationalization of churches by the French | 1797 | Chapter abolished | |
| 1797-1798 | Paintings are deported to École Centrale Furniture sold Jan Blom is ordered to make plans to demolish the church |
||
| May 1800 | Demolition plans are stopped | ||
| concordat Pius VII and Napoleon: including abolition of the Antwerp diocese |
1801 | Re-opening as parish church; Loses the title ‘cathedral’ |
|
| From 1801 | old church Furniture is bought | ||
| Dutch RuleNederlands Bewind | 1814-1830 | ||
| Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo | 18/06/1815 1816 |
Confiscated paintings return from Paris: a.o. Raising of the Cross and Descent from the Cross (P.P. Rubens) |
|
| 1822-1824 | Neo-Classicist high altar by Jan Blom | ||
| 1824-1825 | (neo-)Baroque side altars in the chapels of Our Lady and the Holy Sacrament | ||
| Belgium’s independencyonafhankelijkheid van België | 1830 | ||
| 2nd half 19th century |
Restoration and refurbishing in neo-Gothic style: a.o. choir stalls, side altars, stained glass windows |
||
| 1887 | Our Lady’s Chapel (Schoenmarkt) is bought | ||
| 1891 | Schijven organ | ||
| First World War | 1914-1918 | Hardly any damage | |
| Olympic Games in Antwerp | 1920 | Opening speeches Olympic Games | |
| 1924 | Altar of Our Lady of Peace | ||
| Second World War | 1940-1945 | Very little damage to stained glass windows at the south end | |
| Antwerp diocese is re-established | 1961 | Again ‘Cathedral’ | |
| 1973-1983 | restoration of the interior: nave | ||
| 1983-1993 | restoration of the interior: transepts and choir | ||
| Antwerp ’93: Cultural Capital of Europe | 1993 | ||
| 1993-2014 | restoration of the interior: ambulatory | ||
| 2009 | Msgr. Bonny: 22nd bishop of Antwerp | ||
| 2014 | Inner garden protected as valuable archaeological site |
