St. Paul's Church, Antwerp

St. Paul's Church
St. Paul's Church
Basic information
Location	Antwerp, Antwerp (province), Belgium
Geographic coordinates	51°13′26.1″N 4°24′04.9″E / 51.223917°N 4.401361°E / 51.223917; 4.401361Coordinates: 51°13′26.1″N 4°24′04.9″E / 51.223917°N 4.401361°E / 51.223917; 4.401361
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
District	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels
Country	Belgium
Year consecrated	1571
Architectural style	Gothic, Baroque

The St. Paul's Church or Sint-Pauluskerk (in Dutch) is a Roman Catholic church located at the Veemarktkade in Antwerp. Its exterior is mainly Gothic with a Baroque tower while the interior is characterised by rich Baroque decoration.

The St. Paul's Church is located in the old city center of Antwerp, just a few steps from the Scheldt river, in a district where formerly sailors used to live. A small church was built here by the Dominican Order and consecrated in 1276 by Albertus Magnus. The church is named after the patron saint of the Dominicans, St. Paul.

As the church had become exposed to flooding as a result of a change in course of the Scheldt river, the Dominican Prior A. van Leent decided to build a new church on a larger and higher-lying piece of land next to the existing church. The construction designs were probably made by Domien de Waghemakere, a co-designer of the Antwerp Cathedral. After his death in 1542 Rombout de Dryvere is known to have continued as the architect and master builder. The church was taken into partial use in 1548 and the following year the old church was demolished. The new church was completed and dedicated in 1571. In the same year, the Our Lady of the Rosary fraternity was founded in the church to celebrate the Battle of Lepanto in which the Spanish fleet defeated the Turks. Work on the new monastery probably also started around this time.

When the Calvinists came to power in Antwerp in 1578, the Dominicans were expelled, the church and monastery were cleared and the nave of the church was transformed into a Calvinist oratory. The transepts and chancel were partially demolished and part of the monastery was used as a cannon foundry of the army. When in 1584 Farnese laid siege to Antwerp to reclaim it for the Spanish throne, he had a bridge built over the Scheldt to block supply to the city. The defenders of the city tried to send fire ships to ignite the bridge. They used materials from the transepts and choir of St. Paul’s Church as ballast in these ships. After the fall of Antwerp in 1585, the Dominican Fathers returned and began to rebuild and refurbish the church and the monastery.