'Saint-Andrew' is the least known of Antwerp’s monumental churches and yet this unpretentious place of worship manages to surprise many a visitor with a number of real gems from Antwerp’s art patrimony. Certainly there is plenty here for the unhurried visitor. The church is an oasis of peace, the atmosphere relaxed. And that is partly thanks to the enthusiastic team of volunteers: here you are a truly welcome visitor!
Life in the ‘Parish of Misery’, as this once impoverished Sint-Andries quarter was known, revolved in and around this church. It was among the lace-making folk that Hendrik Conscience, the famous Flemish author, saw the light of day and was baptized.
This house of prayer was founded by the Augustinian fathers at the beginning of the sixteenth century. But the nave was not yet complete when they were sent packing by the government because of the sympathy they displayed for their protesting fellow Augustinian friar, Martin Luther. Margaret of Austria did not wish to see the building work already carried out go to waste and decided to use the building as a parish church. As a token of recognition for her, the parish adopted the patron saint of the House of Burgundy, St. Andrew, and a gilded figure of him was erected on top of the tower. But then there was 1566, the year in which the Calvinist iconoclasts wreaked destruction. The patron saint had withstood wind and rain but he was no match for such a storm of Protest(antism) and fell to the ground. In 1585 the tide turned and the church was returned to the Catholics, for whom it was rebuilt and enlarged.
In 1755, however, the crumbling tower collapsed. It was replaced by a baroque edition with an open (wooden) lantern. During the struggle for Belgian independence, the tower served as a lookout post for King Leopold I to keep an eye on the Dutch occupying forces in the South Castle.
Refurbishment after French rule made rapid progress partly because a number of works of art were re-used from elsewhere. Two new colossi also arrived: the baroque high altar, which originated from the former Cistercian Abbey of St. Bernard in Hemiksem, and the neo-baroque pulpit.
A reminder of the scenario in 1755 which can’t be avoided is that, in 1962, the once-again crumbling tower was wisely taken down and a new, stronger version erected. After that, the rest of the church’s restoration was undertaken so that visitors can now enjoy the artwork in a beautiful, pristine setting.
The high altar undoubtedly attracts the most attention. Even without Rubens’ colouration, this work of art (W.I. Kerricx, 1729) amply satisfies the aspirations of the baroque. Indeed, the separate, three-dimensional group of figures readily evokes a live performance of the assumption of Mary.
The star attraction, however, has to be the wonderful pulpit, stage-managed in masterly fashion by J.-B. Van Hool and J.-F. Van Geel (1821). As large as life, it represents the vocation of the patron saint Andrew and his brother apostle Peter. As is written in the gospel (Mt.4,18-20), Jesus talked to Andrew and Peter while they did their job as fishermen. They were called away to follow Him and to become ‘fishers of mankind’. Without delay, but full of astonishment, they left their nets in the lurch. The realistic reproduction of these people, their work material (the little boat, the net) and their catch is amazing; all this is in the midst of a naturalistic stage set with the mass of rocks and vegetation. On an artistic level it would be difficult to bring Jesus closer to the people than He is here...
Other masterpieces are on display: the monument to the Catholic Queen of Scotland, Mary Stuart (1542-1587) who was put to death by her opponent Elizabeth; but here her memory is kept alive by her ladies-in-waiting.
There is the statue of a serene Peter figure (A. Quellin Senior, 17th century), marked with the struggle of the unwelcome knowledge of a friend’s denial namely Jesus (Mt.26,75).
And what most people here take to heart: the silver reliquary of the 36 Saints.
‘Unknown is unloved’ surely refers to the hidden treasures of Sint-Andries.
Laatste wijziging op 1/2/2003 door
Claire Baisier 
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Description St. Andrew’s church