5 Best Sights in Oude Stad and Het Eilandje, Antwerp and the Northeast

A miracle of soaring Gothic lightness, the Cathedral of Our Lady contains some of Rubens's greatest paintings and is topped by a 404-foot-high north spire. The monument is the work of a succession of remarkable architects, including Peter Appelmans, and Herman and Domien de Waghemakere. The tower holds a 49-bell carillon played at various times throughout the year. The cathedral's art treasures were twice vandalized, and many were either sold at auction or carried off to Paris—though some have been returned. The cathedral nevertheless has an outstanding collection of 17th-century religious art, including four Rubens altarpieces.

This late-Gothic church dedicated to St. Andrew dates from 1514 but reflects substantial Baroque influences from its extension during the 18th century. The church is notable for the magnificence of its Baroque high altar, stained-glass windows, and columns. Its most striking feature is the pulpit depicting Peter and his brother Andrew, created by Jan-Baptist Van Hoof and Jan-Frans Van Geel in 1821. The church is closed to visitors during services.

This late-Gothic church dedicated to St. Andrew dates from 1514 but reflects substantial Baroque influences from its extension during the 18th century. The church is notable for the magnificence of its Baroque high altar, stained-glass windows, and columns. Its most striking feature is the pulpit depicting Peter and his brother Andrew, created by Jan-Baptist Van Hoof and Jan-Frans Van Geel in 1821. The church is closed to visitors during services.

Like so much of Antwerp, the Jesuit St. Charles Borromeo Church bears the imprint of Rubens. The front and tower are generally attributed to him, and his hand can certainly be seen in the clustered cherubim above the entrance. The church’s facade suggests a richly decorated high altar, inviting the observer inside. The interior was once magnificent, but most of Rubens’s frescoes were destroyed by fire, and other works were carted off to Vienna when the Austrians banned the Jesuits in the 18th century. The square is one of the most attractive in Antwerp, flanked by the harmonious Renaissance buildings of the Jesuit convent, now occupied by the City Library.

The late-Gothic St. Paul's Church, built 1530–71, houses more than 50 outstanding paintings, including a series known as the 15 mysteries of the Rosary by Antwerp's finest painters of the time. There are three by Rubens, including a visceral depiction of Jesus's flagellation, as well as works by Jordaens and Van Dyck. The church is further enriched by more than 200 17th- and 18th-century sculptures, including the 10 Baroque confessionals attributed to Peeter Verbruggen the Elder. A Baroque altar completed in 1639 towers over the more somber Gothic nave. Sint-Pauluskerk was restored in 1968 after a major fire.