The central nave and altar of the Church of Our Lady Across the River Dyle in Mechelen, Belgium
Our Lady Across the River Dyle is the second largest church in Mechelen. It is another fine example of Brabant Gothic and dates mostly from the 14 th and 15th centuries. The church suffered major damaged in both world wars in addition to being plunder during earlier wars and upheavals. Traditionally, this church could compete with the cathedral not only in size but also in wealth. Many guilds and trades had their own altars here - the most famous and still on display is the 3-m tall triptych The Miraculous Draught of Fish by Peter Paul Rubens painted in 1620 for the Fishmongers’ Guild. (This guild was housed in the nearby 16th-century Huis de Zalm on Zoutwerf with a golden salmon over the door). The French also confiscated these Rubens paintings but the triptych returned. Two of the Rubens paintings for the predilla are still in Nancy while the third is considered lost. Other notable artworks in Onze Lieve Vrouw Over de Dijle include : - Several statues of the Madonna including the Our Lady of the Scheve Lee (from the 14th century) and Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows by Antoon Faydherbe (d. 1653). - 16th-century frescos of the parable of The Lost Son. - A Baroque pulpit by Willem Ignatius Kerrikx (1682-1745). - The Baroque main altar by Antoon Pastorana (1640-1702) with The Last Supper painted by Jan Erasmus Quellinus (1634-1715). However, most of the church interior and all the historic stained-glass windows were blown out during the Second World War. The colored glass installed during the 1960s provides a lovely color play on sunny days that beautifully lit up the Gothic architecture and decorative style elements.
Size: 5760px × 3840px
Location: Church of Our Lady Across the River Dyle, Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerkhof 1, Mechelen, Flanders, Belgium
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: altar, architecture, art, artwork, attraction, belgian, belgium, brabantine, catholic, central, church, colonnade, columns, cross, dyle, faydherbe, flanders, flemish, gothic, historical, lady, landmark, lucas, main, mechelen, medieval, nave, paintings, pillars, pulpit, religion, religious, river, roman, saints, sculptures, seats, statues, tourist, triptych, visitor
