Towers on the Dyle
Seven historic churches in Belgium's forgotten archiepiscopal city.
Mechelen is a small, often-forgotten city tucked between Brussels and Antwerp. However, despite its modest size, it holds a remarkable historic and religious significance. Once one of Brabant’s most influential cultural centres, it became Belgium’s only archbishopric and, for a brief time, even the capital of the Netherlands. This rich past allowed Mechelen to build a wealth of architectural and religious treasures that still shape its skyline today.
To promote this heritage, the city of Mechelen created the “Torens aan de Dijle”, or “Towers on the Dyle”—the Dyle being the river that crosses the city. This campaign sets a walking path through the city with a stop in each of Mechelen’s main seven historic churches. I recently had the opportunity to follow this path, visiting and photographing each of these masterpieces of the Gothic and the Baroque.
Following this path feels like walking through a living museum of faith and architecture. Each church has its own story, character, and atmosphere, reflecting different moments in Mechelen’s history. This article is meant as both a visual journey and a historical guide. Join me as we wander through the “Towers on the Dyle” together.
1. Begijnhofkerk
The first church on this route is the Church of St. Alexius and St. Catherine, at the heart of Mechelen’s beguinage—today a UNESCO World Heritage site. The church as we see it took shape between 1629 and 1637, at a time when the Catholic Church sought to reinvent itself through art and architecture in the spirit of the Counter-Reformation. The result is a richly adorned monument, its design heavily influenced by Italian Baroque. Its interior is filled with golden side altars, expressive paintings, and a dazzling main altar crowned with frescoes that create an atmosphere more reminiscent of Rome than of Flanders. For me, this church was an unexpected surprise, it was like stumbling upon a little slice of Italy in a quiet corner of Mechelen.
2. Sint-Katelijnekerk
Just a stone’s throw from the Begijnhofkerk stands another church dedicated to Saint Catherine: Sint-Katelijnekerk. Built in the early 1300s, it reflects humbler beginnings, with an intimate and sober atmosphere compared to the grandeur of Mechelen’s other churches. The interior was once richly decorated, but much of its ornamentation was stripped away during 19th-century renovations, leaving behind a more austere space.
One of the church’s most striking peculiarities is the presence of a hidden children’s morgue, where stillborn babies could be offered an honourable farewell—long before legislation made such burials common practice. Though Sint-Katelijnekerk may not dazzle with gilded altars or frescoes, I found its quiet and peaceful interior moving in its own way. It is a place to wander and clear the mind.
3. Sint-Janskerk
St. John’s Church is a large Gothic church with a stunning Baroque interior and an exceptional collection of artistic masterpieces. However, this church has had a tumultuous history: in 1546, a lightning strike on a gunpowder storage caused widespread destruction across the city, killing around 200 and badly damaging the church. Twenty years later, during the Wars of Religion, the interior was looted. Under French Republican occupation, the church was auctioned, but was donated back to the church by the buyer.
The crowning jewel of St. John’s is Rubens’ Adoration of the Magi(1619), which dominates the main altar. Below the central panel, the predella used to consist of 3 small paintings: ‘Christ on the Cross’, ‘The Adoration of the Shepherds’ and ‘The Resurrection of Christ’, only the first one remains, the other two were looted by the French and are now in the Museum of Fine Arts of Marseille. This church also had a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere and I could spend hours looking at the paintings scattered around its interior.
4. Sint-Pieter-en-Paulkerk
As we continue along the “Towers on the Dyle” route, the fourth stop is the Church of St. Peter and Paul, one of Mechelen’s finest examples of Baroque architecture. Built between 1669 and 1694, it was designed by the Jesuit architect Antoon Losson. The influential Losson family had three brothers in the Jesuit order, which at the time was expanding rapidly across the region—leaving behind a series of magnificent Baroque churches in cities such as Namur, Ypres, and Brussels.
While the Begijnhofkerk impresses with its colourful decoration and artistic treasures, St. Peter and Paul’s evokes its beauty through a more sober approach. Its white-and-gold interior, accented by marble pillars, radiates a sense of peace and clarity. I decided to take a break here and ended up staying here longer than I expected, sitting quietly in its vast, light-filled nave.
5. Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Hanswijkbasiliek
The next stop on the route is the Basilica of Our Lady of Hanswijk, Mechelen’s great pilgrimage church on the banks of the Dyle. According to legend, in the 8th century a boat carrying a statue of the Virgin Mary suddenly stopped at Hanswijk and could not be moved, which was seen as a divine sign that the statue was destined to remain there. From that moment on, Hanswijk became one of the Low Countries’ most important Marian shrines.
The present basilica was designed in the 17th century by the Jesuit architect Lucas Faydherbe, a student of Rubens. Its dome is rather unusual in the region and immediately sets it apart from the Gothic spires that dominate the skyline of Mechelen. The inside of the basilica is bright and richly decorated with a magnificent high altar and elaborate confessionals. One of the confessionals in this church genuinely blew me away: designed by the great artist Jan-Frans Boeckstyuns, the confessional is adorned with four statues representing Death, the Last Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. Incredibly powerful symbols to include in such a structure.
6. Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Over-de-Dijlekerk
Just down the street from the Basilica of Our Lady of Hanswijk stands the Church of Our Lady over the Dyle, a large Brabantine Gothic structure with a tall spire—though less dominant than that of the Cathedral. Its interior is comparatively restrained: the stained-glass windows are filled with geometric patterns rather than biblical scenes, and the decoration is more subdued than in other churches on the route. Yet this simplicity is balanced by a remarkable collection of Baroque artworks, many linked to Mechelen’s old trade guilds.
The church’s most famous treasure is Rubens’ Miraculous Catch of Fish, originally painted as part of a large polyptych for the high altar by Anthony Pastorana. During the French occupation, the work was looted and taken to Paris, and while the triptych portion was eventually returned, the predella panels remain in France at the Musée Lorrain in Nancy. The central panel itself disappeared for decades until Jo Haazen, Mechelen’s carillonneur, recognized it in an exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod in 2008.
7. Sint-Romboutskathedraal
The last church on our route has to be Mechelen’s crowning jewel: the Cathedral of Saint Rumbold, a masterpiece of Brabantine Gothic. Construction started in the 13th century but lasted well over two centuries, the result is a massive single-spired monument that dominates the city’s skyline. Its massive tower was originally intended to be 160 meters, though some locals claim that it was actually meant to be closer to 180. However, even unfinished this church still evokes awe.
The interior is equally awe-inspiring, with soaring vaults, colourful stained-glass windows, and a collection of Baroque altarpieces and chapels that reflect Mechelen’s status as an archiepiscopal seat. Among its treasures are works by Anthony van Dyck and Michiel Coxcie, alongside finely carved choir stalls and a monumental pulpit. Climbing the tower is a highlight in itself: after nearly 600 steps up, it is sometimes possible to see Brussels and Antwerp on a clear day. Flanders may lack mountains or dramatic valleys, but from St. Rumbold’s tower the flat countryside stretches endlessly in every direction. It’s a view as humbling as the cathedral itself.
Final Thoughts
The “Towers on the Dyle” route is proof that Mechelen’s compact size hides a monumental legacy. In just one walk, you can move through centuries of history and encounter masterpieces by Rubens and Van Dyck—all freely accessible.
Thank you for joining me on this journey through Mechelen. I hope these photos and stories inspired you to look at churches and cities in a new way. If you ever find yourself between Brussels and Antwerp, I can only encourage you to take the detour. It might just surprise you as much as it did me. As always, feedback and comments are always welcomed and encouraged.
Thank you for sharing. Art and architecture is something I have always admired as well as the fine craftsmanship required to construct these jewels of humankind. If you are so inclined, a ‘Part II’ would be welcome with any of the photos you may have omitted. I would love to see more.
Each one of these cathedrals look so inviting. If allowed, I could spend all day at any one of these beautiful and historic places. If there were any English-speaking folks who worked on the care and maintenance of these incredible structures, I would really like to talk about all the unique features of construction and hidden places that exist inside these sprawling churches.
Wonderful post!