St. Paul's Church, Antwerp

Geschiedenis

The St. Paul's Church or Sint-Pauluskerk (in Dutch) is a Roman Catholic church located at the Veemarktkade in Antwerp. Its exterior is mainly Gothic with a Baroque tower while the interior is characterised by rich Baroque decoration.HistoryThe St. Paul's Church is located in the old city center of Antwerp, just a few steps from the Scheldt river, in a district where formerly sailors used to live. A small church was built here by the Dominican Order and consecrated in 1276 by Albertus Magnus. The church is named after the patron saint of the Dominicans, St. Paul.As the church had become exposed to flooding as a result of a change in course of the Scheldt river, the Dominican Prior A. van Leent decided to build a new church on a larger and higher-lying piece of land next to the existing church. The construction designs were probably made by Domien de Waghemakere, a co-designer of the Antwerp Cathedral. After his death in 1542 Rombout de Dryvere is known to have continued as the architect and master builder. The church was taken into partial use in 1548 and the following year the old church was demolished. The new church was completed and dedicated in 1571. In the same year, the Our Lady of the Rosary fraternity was founded in the church to celebrate the Battle of Lepanto in which the Spanish fleet defeated the Turks. Work on the new monastery probably also started around this time.