The St Walburga Church (or Burchtkerk) in Antwerp, Belgium, formerly a parish church, was demolished in 1817.

Early history

The church's history predates the 8th century. The very first chapel built within the walls on the right bank of the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

dates from 727, and was destroyed by the Normans in 836. In 900 a new burcht is built on the same spot with a new church, dedicated to

Saint Walpurga Walpurga or Walburga ( ang, Wealdburg, la, Valpurga, Walpurga, Walpurgis, sv, Valborg; c. AD 71025 February 777 or 779), also spelled Valderburg or Guibor, was an Anglo-Saxon missionary to the Frankish Empire. She was canonized on 1 May c. 870 ...

, next to the fortress Het Steen. Under the direction of the Affligem monks the church is rebuilt in 1250, and in 1478 it becomes a parish church, also receiving a baptismal font and the right to bury. Another renovation, directed by architect de Waghemakere around 1500, again enlarges the church. Ruïnen van de Sint-Walburgiskerk te Antwerpen

Ruïnen van de Sint-Walburgiskerk te Antwerpen

Interior

In 1609 the church council asked

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradi ...

to paint a triptych for the church. His '' Elevation of the Cross'' was completed in 1610 and incorporated into the main altar. When in 1734 the old wooden altar was demolished and replaced by a stone altar made by

Willem Ignatius Kerricx Willem Ignatius Kerricx (Antwerp, baptized on 22 April 1682 - Antwerp, 4 January 1745) was a Flemish sculptor, painter, draftsman, architect, engineer, playwright and author active in Antwerp in the first half of the 18th century.< ...

, smaller parts of Rubens's triptych were sold because they did not fit the new altar. The first mass at the high altar took place on 11 June 1737. The triptych was removed in 1794 by French occupying forces and taken to Paris, and was later returned to Antwerp's Cathedral of Our Lady.

Closing, demolition

In 1798 the church fell victim to the French urge to close monasteries and churches, and that same year the Antwerp diocese was abolished. The church was used as a warehouse. The choir, including a covered walkway to Het Steen, was retained for a while but in 1816 the church was sold, and demolished the year after. The last remains of it were destroyed by fire. In the meantime the St. Paul's Church had been designated as the parish church. The removal of the St. Walburga Church left an open space, now called the Burchtplein, on which a statue to Peter Paul Rubens was placed. When the banks of the Scheldt river were straightened, the square disappeared and the statue was moved to the Groenplaats. Willem Ignatius Kerricx - The raising of the brass snake

Willem Ignatius Kerricx - The raising of the brass snake

The

predella In art a predella (plural predelle) is the lowest part of an altarpiece, sometimes forming a platform or step, and the painting or sculpture along it, at the bottom of an altarpiece, sometimes with a single much larger main scene above, but oft ...

of the main altar representing the ''Raising of the brass snake'' made by

was reused for the main altar of the Antwerp Cathedral.Frans Jozef Peter Van den Branden, ''Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche schilderschool'', Antwerpen, 1883, p. 1169-1170 The cathedral also holds the two marble medallions represenintg Saint Walburga and Saint Eligius, which Kerricx has produced for the altar in the church. The Our Lady’s Cathedral of Antwerp, a revelation. The high altar
/ref> Another altar was moved to the Saint Dionysius church in Tilburg, where it became the high altar. In 1936, a new, modernist church with the same name was built by Flor Van Reeth in the Zuid neighborhood of Antwerp.

Burials

* Joannes I Goubau, Lord of Saint-Fontaine, (1503-1581): marr. Joanne Cossiers. * Abrahem van Horne, marr. Barbe van den Gouwen. * Michiel Cornelissen Stellenaer, capteyn. *

Jan Pieter van Baurscheit the Elder Jan Peter van Baurscheit the Elder (1669–1728) was a sculptor from the Southern Netherlands. Elder was born in Wormersdorf as the son of the mayor there, and moved to Antwerp, where he first apprenticed to the nephew of Pieter Verbrugghen the El ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Walburga Church (Antwerp) Wal Wal Buildings and structures demolished in 1817 Demolished buildings and structures in Belgium