Cathedral of Sint-Rombout in Mechelen - Discover this open and welcoming religious building

Cathedral | XIII-XV | | Catholic Church

Disabled access Toilets Carillon Organ Pilgrimage site

Map

Opening hours

02 January - 31 December
Mon 8.30 - 17.30
Tue 8.30 - 17.30
Wed 8.30 - 17.30
Thu 8.30 - 17.30
Fri 8.30 - 17.30
Sat 8.30 - 17.30
Sun 12.00 - 17.30

Ascent of the tower :
from Sunday to Friday : 1 pm - 6 pm
Saturday : 10 am - 6 pm
last admission at 16.40

Guided tour

www.kathedraalmechelen.be

Description

Construction of the church started in the 13th century in honour of St. Rumbold and was designed to impress. In 1559, when Malines became an archbishopric, the church was awarded the title of cathedral, which enforced its status and grandeur. The cathedral became the eye-catching central monument of the town, and its tower, by the architect family Keldermans, its piece de resistance.

The Reformation wars (16th century) hit the church hard. Much of the original interior was lost. The Calvinists removed everything referring to the catholic faith. The church also survived the bombardments of both world wars and a fire in 1972 in the chancel.

As a metropolital church, the cathedral of St. Rumbold is the most important of Belgium. It is also the mausoleum of all archbishops of Malines since 1559.

The imposing cathedral contains monumental tombs and epitaphs placed around the chancel in the deambulatory. Admire the painting “Christ on the Cross” by Sir Anthony van Dyck and the beautiful paintings by, amongst others, Michiel Coxcie and Gaspar de Crayer. Next to the main altar by Lucas Faydherbe (1665) is the main showpiece of the church, a collection of late 15th century paintings in the style of the Flemish Primitives, depicting the life of St. Rumbold.

The monumental Stevens organ in the cathedral (6600 pipes) was designed by Flor Peeters and played by him in 1958.

The St. Rumbold's cathedral is one of 7 historic churches in Malines, promoted by "Torens aan de Dijle vzw", in cooperation with the city of Malines.

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Tourism Malines

The tower of St. Rumbold

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Remarkable elements

Tower

The famous tower dominates the skyline of Malines and is one of the most well-known in Belgium. The architect family Keldermans supervised the building, which started with the laying of the foundations in 1449. The actual building started on 22 May 1452, and the tower grew approximately 1.5m every year.The original plan was for the tower to reach 600 (local) feet (approx. 167m), but it was never finished. The Religious Wars cost a lot of money, an explosion of gunpowder in the vicinity (1546) destroyed one third of the old town and killed 200 people. All this worsened the financial situation. Although work on the 8-sided spire had already started, the building was finally abandoned in 1520 at a height of 97.28m

Saint Rombout (statue and history)

The most striking feature is a statue of St. Rombout, patron saint of Malines, high above the main altar and designed by Lucas Fayd’herbe in 1665. This altar contains the relics of this 8th century Irish missionary in a silver shrine.In the deambulatory is a delicately painted history of the life and miracles of St. Rombout (16th century).

“Christ on the Cross” by Sir Anthony van Dyck

In the transept we can admire the painting “Christ on theCross” by Sir Anthony van Dyck (1630). It was originally made for an altar in the church of the Friors Minor which was closed in 1796 during the French rule.

Monumental pulpit

The row of baroque statues of apostles in the nave is interrupted by a monumental oak pulpit. It was carved by Michiel Van der Voort the Elder around 1724 and was brought here from theLeliendael convent church of the nuns of the Order of Norbertus.At the bottom we see St. Norbertus, founder of the religious order, falling from his horse. Finely sculpted animals from the Garden of Eden cover the pulpit (the Fall). On the left is a sculpture of the crucifixion (salvation).

Communion rails in white marble

The communion rails in the Sacrament Chapel also originate from the above mentioned church. The work of art was made in 1678 by Artus II Quelllinus. Illustrations of the Holy Eucharist are prominently present. The grapes and corn cobs refer to the transfiguration of wine and bread into the body and blood of Christ.

Tombs and altar pieces

The metropolital cathedral is also a mausoleum for the archbishops since the start of the archdiocese in 1559. Their tombs dominate the interior, together with a wealth of 17th and 18th century paintings from, amongst others, Michiel Coxcie, Gaspar De Crayer and Jean-Baptiste le Sayve.

How to get there