Standing in the heart of Antwerp’s historic center, St. Charles Borromeo Church (Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk) is one of Belgium’s finest examples of Baroque architecture. The church was originally constructed as the Jesuit church of Antwerp, dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. Construction began in 1615 under the direction of Jesuit architect François d'Aguilon, with collaboration from Rubens and other local artists. The building was completed in 1621. Unfortunately Rubens' ceiling paintings were lost in a fire in 1718. Following the suppression of the Jesuit order in 1773, the church was rededicated to St. Charles Borromeo.
The church was designed by François d’Aguilon, a Jesuit mathematician and architect, and brought to completion under the direction of Pieter Huyssens, a Flemish Jesuit brother and architect trained in Italy. The façade is a masterful example of Flemish Baroque, strongly influenced by the Roman Jesuit church of Il Gesù, with classical columns, volutes, and dynamic spatial layering.
Its monumental white sandstone façade is divided into three levels. The central position on the second level is prominently occupied by the Jesuit emblem, the IHS monogram.
St. Charles Borromeo Church - facade
The nave is spanned by a broad barrel vault adorned with Baroque-style ribbed vaulting, resting on Ionic columns above the galleries and Doric columns flanking the side aisles. The monumental oak pulpit, crafted in 1718 following the fire, is the work of Jan Pieter van Baurscheit the Elder.
nave
organ
The focal point of the church is the Baroque high altar, designed by Peter Paul Rubens and realized by sculptor Hans van Mildert. Ingeniously engineered, the altar features a rotating mechanism that allows it to display four different paintings in turn.
The Return of the Holy Family from Jerusalem by Peter Paul Rubens is installed above the St. Joseph’s altar. After changing hands multiple times, the painting had been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1871. The St. Charles Borromeo Church was able to acquire it at auction in 2012 and after its restoration it can be seen in its original location since 2017.
high altar
Return of the Holy Family from Jerusalem by Peter Paul Rubens
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