St. Andrew’s Church is being restored: exterior and stained glass windows are being addressed (Antwerp)
The Sint-Anderkerk in the neighborhood of the same name will be painted on the outside for two years from November. The stained glass windows are also being addressed. The church will remain accessible during these works.
On the outside, all the roofs and facades of the church will be thoroughly renovated. All stained glass windows will be temporarily removed. They are cleaned and glazed. The stained glass windows are no longer subject to wind and weather. The extra glazing also improves the interior climate of the church.
With its late Gothic architecture and late Baroque tower and interior, Sint-Andries belongs to the five monumental churches of Antwerp. But the imposing building is in urgent need of restoration. Last June, the Flemish government awarded a heritage premium of 2,361,800 euros.
Thanks to this grant, the works, led by Steenmeijer architects, can start at the beginning of November. During the two years of work, the building will remain accessible to parishioners and visitors.
“A beacon of hope and sense of community”
“From the Augustinian monks, who were the first Lutheran preachers in our city and before that also the first to die a martyr’s death in the Netherlands, to the time when the cholera epidemic took the lives of thousands of fellow citizens and the living conditions in the shutters of the district were appalling. : the Sint-Andrieskerk has always been a beacon of hoop and a sense of community,” says Mayor Bart De Wever (N-VA), who is responsible for heritage.
Artist Kolkhoz provides the illustration on the yard fence. Here are the central Sint-Andrieswijk and the church with its rich history. The drawings are collections of figures and objects that appear in stories about the neighborhood and its beloved church such as Ortelius, Vincent van Gogh and King Leopold I.
“We owe our ancestors respect and awe for the important role this church has played in our city’s history, and we owe it to our children to keep it with care. Because the Sint-Andrieskerk is a shape that is not part of the social fabric of our beautiful city,” says Bart De Wever.