Page 24 - LOTN Summer Issue 47 2021

FAITH AND CULTURE

Oot an Aboot

with Ron Smith

St. Andrew’s church,

Antwerp, and the

Scottish connection

The portrait of Mary Queen of Scots and the statues of St
ntwerp with its many ancient buildings and Barbara and St. Elisabeth of Hungary, patron saints of two of
churches is a great place to visit. One of the her ladies-in-waiting
lesser-known churches is St. Andrew’s. It late. Andrew died, and the painting shows him being lowered
A is a little out of the way, hidden by apartment from the cross with angels taking his soul up to heaven. The
blocks, and was known as the “Parish of Misery” because painting took from 1594 to 1599 to complete and, in a part
it served the dockyard workers. It is 500 years old, and the of the church which serves as a museum, the original “model”
exterior is not spectacular - but once you step inside - it painting is also on display.
takes your breath away. This is not the only Scottish connection. To one side of the
On my visit I immediately felt at home with the huge saltire altar is a large black marble panel, with an image of Mary Queen
laid into the floor leading to the altar. of Scots above it. This dates from around 1620. When Elizabeth
A painting for the altar was commissioned following a I of England had Mary Stuart executed in 1587many Catholics
competition when artists were invited to submit a “model” fled to Belgium, including two of her ladies-in-waiting who
painting, about two feet square, of what they proposed. Otto came to Antwerp to live close to this “Scottish” church. Elisabeth
Van Veen (Rubens' teacher) won and painted the large image Curle and Barbara Moubray, the ladies in waiting in question,
of the Martyrdom were buried in this church. The son of Barbara, Hippoliet Curle,
of St. Andrew a Jesuit, commissioned this mighty epitaph to the two ladies.
(approximately 14 Their patron saints, St. Barbara with an open book and St.
by 9 feet). Briefly, the Elisabeth of Hungary giving out bread to the poor, flank the
events surrounding dedication plaque, while above it is the portrait of Mary Stuart
the death of St and the Madonna.
Andrew are as follows: During the Reformation and the French Revolution the church
The wife of the then amassed many treasures from other churches, monasteries and
Roman proconsul convents which had been forced to close. Included amongst
became a Christian these is a solid silver reliquary containing the relics of 36 saints.
and follower of It requires 16 men to lift and carry this in processions. On the
Andrew, and rejected sides of the reliquary are 36 painted panels depicting each saint,
her husband. In turn, painted by local artists.
he decided to arrest The church has wonderful stained-glass windows, although
and crucify Andrew. those on the north side were destroyed by the blast of a German
For two days Andrew V1 rocket in January 1945, and since replaced.
preached from the In 1821, the original pulpit from 1559 was sold to make way
cross but it caused for the current incredible wood baroque masterpiece by cabinet
such a public outcry maker Jan Baptist Van Hool and sculptor Jan Frans Van Geel.
that the proconsul At the base a life-size figure of Jesus standing on the shore of the
thought it best to Sea of Galilee is recruiting his first two disciples, Andrew, and
bring him down. his brother Peter, who are stepping out of their boat to follow
The Martyrdom of St Andrew However, it was too Jesus. The boats, oars, nets, fish, crabs, the lobsters climbing up
the nets, and the expressions on the faces of the brothers hearing
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