SINT-ROMBOUTSKATHEDRAAL
Brabant Gothic cathedral built in the Kelderman period, with a massive belfry tower and numerous works of art
Saint-Rombaut Cathedral is a superb example of the Brabant Gothic style, built between the 13th and 16th centuries. Its construction spanned the life and death of a dynasty of architects known as the Keldermans.
The massive belfry tower, characteristic of Mechelen, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its ribbed buttresses, flanked by jagged spires, were prepared to support a gigantic spire. Unnecessarily so, for although the tower was originally intended to be 167 m high, it will only be 97 m tall due to lack of funds. It houses two carillons, each with 49 bells. During your visit, you can watch the carillonneur play. You can climb to the top of the tower by climbing the 538 steps. A multimedia guide accompanies you on your ascent to reveal all its secrets. At the top is the sky walk, a platform offering a superb panoramic view. On a clear day, you can see the towers of Antwerp and the Atomium in Brussels.
Inside the church, the vaulting rests, as is customary in Brabant Gothic architecture, on solid cylindrical columns crowned with cabbage-leaf capitals, from which ogival ribs soar. Giant apostles lean against the columns, towering over the mass of worshippers. The church houses works such as the painting Christ on the Cross by Antoine Van Dick, 25 panels from the 15thand 16th centuries recounting the legend of Saint Rombaut, and a magnificent pulpit of truth adorned with small animals.
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