St. Walburga Church (Dutch : Sint-Walburgiskerk) or Burchtkerk was a Roman Catholic parish church in Antwerp, modern-day Belgium. It was demolished in 1817.
St. Walburga Church (Dutch : Sint-Walburgiskerk) or Burchtkerk was a Roman Catholic parish church in Antwerp, modern-day Belgium. It was demolished in 1817.
The church's history predates the 8th century. The very first chapel built within the walls on the right bank of the Scheldt dates from 727, and was destroyed by the Normans in 836. In 900 a new burcht is built on the same spot with a new church, dedicated to Saint Walpurga, next to the fortress Het Steen. Under the direction of the Affligem monks the church is rebuilt in 1250, and in 1478 it becomes a parish church, also receiving a baptismal font and the right to bury. Another renovation, directed by architect de Waghemakere around 1500, again enlarges the church.
In 1609 the church council asked Peter Paul Rubens to paint a triptych for the church. His Elevation of the Cross was completed in 1610 and incorporated into the main altar. When in 1734 the old wooden altar was demolished and replaced by a stone altar made by Willem Ignatius Kerricx, smaller parts of Rubens's triptych were sold because they did not fit the new altar. The first mass at the high altar took place on 11 June 1737. The triptych was removed in 1794 by French occupying forces and taken to Paris, and was later returned to Antwerp's Cathedral of Our Lady.
In 1798 the church fell victim to the French urge to close monasteries and churches, and that same year the Antwerp diocese was abolished. The church was used as a warehouse. The choir, including a covered walkway to Het Steen, was retained for a while but in 1816 the church was sold, and demolished the year after. The last remains of it were destroyed by fire. In the meantime the St. Paul's Church had been designated as the parish church. The removal of the St. Walburga Church left an open space, now called the Burchtplein, on which a statue to Peter Paul Rubens was placed. When the banks of the Scheldt river were straightened, the square disappeared and the statue was moved to the Groenplaats.
The predella of the main altar representing the Raising of the brass snake made by Willem Ignatius Kerricx was reused for the main altar of the Antwerp Cathedral. [1] The cathedral also holds the two marble medallions represenintg Saint Walburga and Saint Eligius, which Kerricx has produced for the altar in the church. [2] Another altar was moved to the Saint Dionysius church in Tilburg, where it became the high altar. In 1936, a new, modernist church with the same name was built by Flor Van Reeth in the Zuid neighborhood of Antwerp.
Walpurga or Walburga was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 by Pope Adrian II. Saint Walpurgis Night is the name for the eve of her feast day in the Medieval period, which coincided with May Day; her feast is no longer celebrated on that day, but the name is still used for May Eve.
The Cathedral of Our Lady is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium. Today's seat of the Diocese of Antwerp started in 1352 and, although the first stage of construction was ended in 1521, has never been 'completed'. It was constructed in the Gothic style by architects Jan and Pieter Appelmans. It contains a number of significant works by the Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens, as well as paintings by artists such as Otto van Veen, Jacob de Backer and Marten de Vos. The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Belgium, with its tower rising 123 meters over the city.
The Elevation of the Cross is the name of two paintings, a very large triptych in oil on panel and a much smaller oil on paper painting. Both pieces were painted by the Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens in Antwerp, Belgium, the original in 1610 and the latter in 1638. The original is a winged altarpiece, with the outside of the hinged wings also painted. These can be folded over the central panel, giving an 'open view' and a 'closed view'.
St. James' Church is a former collegiate church in Antwerp, Belgium. The church is built on the site of a hostel for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. The present building is the work of the Waghemakere family and Rombout Keldermans, in Brabantine Gothic style. The church contains the grave of Peter Paul Rubens in the eastern chapel.
Pieter Verbrugghen I was a Flemish sculptor from the Baroque.
Saint Bavo's Cathedral, also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Ghent, Belgium. The 89-metre-tall (292 ft) Gothic building is the seat of the Diocese of Ghent and is named for Saint Bavo of Ghent. It contains the well-known Ghent Altarpiece, also called the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.
Jan Claudius de Cock was a Flemish painter, sculptor, print artist and writer. De Cock produced both religious and secular sculpture on a small as well as monumental scale. De Cock completed many commissions in the Dutch Republic. He worked on decorations for the courtyard of the Breda Palace for William III, King of England, Ireland, and Scotland and stadtholder. He is credited with introducing neoclassicism in Flemish sculpture. He was a prolific draughtsman and designed prints for the Antwerp publishers. As a writer, he wrote a poem about the 1718 fire in the Jesuit Church in Antwerp and a book of instructions on the art of sculpture.
Cornelis van der Geest was a spice merchant from Antwerp, who used his wealth to support the Antwerp artists and to establish his art collection. He was also the dean of the haberdashers guild.
Hendrik Frans Verbrugghen or Hendrik Frans Verbruggen was a Flemish sculptor and draftsman, who is best known for his Baroque church furniture in various Belgian churches.
St. Andrew’s Church is a Catholic church in Antwerp built in the 16th century. Its exterior is mainly characterised by a late-Gothic style while its interior is predominantly executed in Baroque style. It is the parish church of the Parish of St. Andrew’s. During the nineteenth century the St. Andrew's Parish was known as the parish of misery as it was by then mainly populated by poor people.
St. Paul's Church is a Roman Catholic church located at the Veemarkt in Antwerp, Belgium. Its exterior is mainly Gothic with a Baroque tower while the interior is characterised by its rich Baroque decoration. It holds paintings by Antwerp's leading artists Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Jacob Jordaens as well as abundant sculpture and church furniture crafted by leading Antwerp sculptors such as Artus Quellinus the Elder, Pieter Verbrugghen I, Jan Pieter van Baurscheit de Elder, Jan Claudius de Cock and Andries Colyns de Nole. Of particular note is the Calvary outside the Church which is made up of 63 life-size statues and nine reliefs executed in a popular and theatrical style.
The St. Walburga Church is a 17th-century Roman-Catholic church in Bruges built by the Jesuits in a Baroque style. It is now a parish church and contains many valuable art objects.
Artus Quellinus II or Artus Quellinus the Younger was a Flemish sculptor who played an important role in the evolution of Northern-European sculpture from High Baroque to Late Baroque.
St Michael's Abbey in Antwerp was a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1124 by Norbert of Xanten and laid waste during the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1807 a semaphore station was installed in the tower of the church. The buildings were demolished in 1831.
Frans Langhemans was a Flemish sculptor mainly active in Mechelen. He worked for a time as a court sculptor in Düsseldorf. He is mainly known for this church furniture and statues of saints.
Nicolaas Rockox (1560–1640), was an art patron and collector, numismatist, humanist, philanthropist and mayor of Antwerp. He was a close personal friend and important patron of Peter Paul Rubens. His residence in Antwerp was a centre where Antwerp's humanists and artists congregated and housed a large collection of artworks, antiques, rare objects and coins. It is now a museum known as the Snijders&Rockox House. He was knighted by Archduke Albert and Isabella, the Governor General of the Habsburg Netherlands.
Willem Kerricx or Willem Kerricx the Elder was a Flemish sculptor active in Antwerp. His works comprise mostly sculptured church furniture, individual sculptures, both portrait busts as well as statues of saints for churches and funerary monuments. His style shows the transition from the highly dramatic expressiveness of the Antwerp late Baroque towards a more gracious and elegant Rococo style. He operated a large workshop in Antwerp which was continued by his son into the middle of the 18th century.
Alexander van Papenhoven was a Flemish sculptor, architect and art educator, who is best known for the furniture which he made for the principal churches in Flanders. He worked mainly in Antwerp, but early in his career he was also active for some years in Denmark.
Willem Ignatius Kerricx was a Flemish sculptor, painter, draftsman, architect, engineer, playwright and author active in Antwerp in the first half of the 18th century. His sculptural works comprise mostly sculptured church furniture, individual sculptures, mainly statues of saints for churches and a few funerary monuments. His sculptural style is typical for the late Flemish Baroque while he shows a preference for Classicism in his architectural projects. He took over the large family sculpture workshop in Antwerp. As a painter he created both history paintings for churches and still lifes. He was also employed as an architect and engineer, mainly on reconstruction projects. In his youth, he composed a number of comedies and tragedies for the Antwerp theatre.
Jan Frans van Geel was a Flemish sculptor, draugthsman and art educator. He is mainly known for his church furniture, statues of saints, mythological ensembles and allegorical figures. He was a teacher and director at the Academy of Arts of Mechelen and teacher of sculpture at the Academy of Arts of Antwerp. He was one of the last Flemish sculptors who worked in the Flemish Baroque style in sculpture, which was popular in the Habsburg Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Media related to Sint-Walburgiskerk (Antwerpen) at Wikimedia Commons
