Guide to Saint Paul's Church in Antwerp

A small church was originally built on the site by the Dominican Order and consecrated in 1276 by Albertus Magnus.

After the original church faced flooding, a new church was built on higher ground. Construction began under Domien de Waghemakere, was continued by Rombout de Dryvere, and the structure was officially completed and dedicated in 1571.

In 1571, the Our Lady of the Rosary fraternity was established at the church to celebrate the Spanish fleet's victory over the Turks at the Battle of Lepanto.

Following the expulsion of the Dominicans in 1578 and the conversion of the nave into a Calvinist oratory, the church suffered damage to its transepts and choir during the Siege of Antwerp. After 1585, the Dominican fathers returned and initiated extensive rebuilding and refurbishment projects.

Work on a new, enlarged choir and transept began in 1618, with the new choir being consecrated by the Bishop of Antwerp in 1639.

In 1623, Caravaggio's painting 'Madonna of the Rosary' was donated to the church through the efforts of Peter Paul Rubens and other local artists, serving as an important altarpiece until it was seized by Emperor Joseph II in 1786.

A major fire in 1679 destroyed the nave's vaults and the upper western facade. Repairs were completed between 1680 and 1681, during which time the tower was finished in a Baroque style designed by Nicolaes Millich.

The Calvary courtyard, featuring 63 life-size statues and nine reliefs on artificial rock terraces, was constructed against the south aisle of the church between 1697 and 1747.

In 1796, Dominican monasteries were closed by French occupiers. The church was publicly sold but saved from destruction when it was purchased by the Dominican Prior Peltiers. It was later taken over by the city council in 1802 and consecrated as a parish church.

During the 1830 Ten Days' Campaign, a Dutch bombardment of Antwerp damaged the church and destroyed the original 17th-century stained glass windows designed by Abraham van Diepenbeeck.

A catastrophic fire in April 1968 destroyed the roof, damaged the interior vaults, ruined the top of the Baroque tower, and decimated three-quarters of the monastery. Extensive restoration work followed to repair the significant structural damage.