I invite you to read my post about the historic town of Mechelen on the Broad Oak Magazine blog.

The inside of this church is spectacular  and we felt blessed that we were able to visit.  The church closed for restoration at the beginning of April, just two weeks after our visit.  It will be closed for four years!

This baroque pilgrimage church designed by Lucas Faydherbe was one of the first domed churches in the Low Countries. The dome was to have been even higher, but the substructure proved not to be sufficiently robust. Architect and church engaged in a bitter battle about additional reinforcements.

Inside under the dome are two huge reliefs, also by Faydherbe, believed by everyone to be sandstone until the bombing raids in the Second World War. But sandstone would have been too heavy, so the resourceful Faydherbe had used gypsum. Only when the damaged reliefs were repaired did the deception come to light.

At the front of the church is a miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary which is carried in the annual Hanswijk procession. In 1985 the late Pope John Paul II prayed in this church, whose status was elevated to that of a basilica two years later.

Originally oats were unloaded and traded here. Oats used to be synonymous with grain and Mechelen had the exclusive staple rights to grain. Boats carrying grain had to tie up in Mechelen and offer the whole cargo for sale for three whole days. Only what the merchants did not sell in Mechelen could be loaded back onto the boats and taken elsewhere.

You can’t fail to notice the three houses near the bridge. They date from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and are what draws people to the Haverwerf.

The corner house is called Het Paradijske, Little Paradise. The reliefs above the windows depict the scenes ‘Earthly paradise’ and ‘The tree of knowledge of good and evil’. In the middle is De Duiveltjes, The Little Devils, one of the most beautiful facades in the country. We know that it used to be called De Verloren Zoon, The Prodigal Son, because the story is depicted above the front door. Now it is named after the little devils which act as pillars. On the left is the house known as Sint-Jozef; in the middle is a relief of St Joseph; in the middle is a relief of St Joseph with the Child Jesus.*

*From Hotelmagazine 2014-2015 Welcome in Mechelen

Jacques Francquart and Pieter Husseyns designed this imposing baroque church (1629 – 1647), which reflects the one-time wealth of the Large Beguinage.  The paintings feature several female saints, evidence of the devotion of the beguines.*

*From the signboard in front of the church.

There are many idyllic spots in Mechelen and Groen Waterke is one of them. The brook owes its name to the duckweed which covers the surface of the water. It is in fact the remains of the Melaan brook which was not covered over of filled here. Enjoy the peace and quiet of this idyllic spot, close to the houses of refuge of St Trond and Tongerlo abbeys.

In the old days platforms were often built into the side wall of buildings next to the water. They were toilets known as ’secrecies’ – rather a strange name when you think how the user was on view there! One day the mother superior of the convent sent an angry letter to the city council, complaining about the boys who sailed in boats under her secrecies firing at the bottoms of the nuns with blowpipes! She was lucky: her complaint was heard and soon there was far less traffic on ‘t Groen Waterke!*

*From Hotelmagazine 2014-2015 Welcome in Mechelen

Het Anker brewery enjoys world fame for its’ ‘Gouden Carolus’ or Golden Charles beer. Founded in 1369, Het Anker is one of Belgium’s oldest breweries. The three copper brew kettles in the brew room date from after the Second World War. Jan uit den Anker started the brewery in 1369. Later on his son Matthijs bought up the municipal brewery and started brewing the amber-coloured ‘Mechelschen Bruynen’, which was popular with both the bourgeoisie and the nobility. The beer was also to Charles V’s taste and now, six centuries on, ‘den Bruynen’ is still brewed.  These days it is called ‘Goulen Carolus Ambrio’ and is slightly stronger than its predecessor.*

*From Hotelmagazine 2014-2015 Welcome in Mechelen

The original photos can be viewed via the following links:

1. Mechelen Carnival, 2. Mechelen Carnival, 3. Mechelen Carnival, 4. Mechelen Carnival, 5. Mechelen Carnival, 6. Mechelen Carnival, 7. Mechelen Carnival, 8. Mechelen Carnival, 9. Mechelen Carnival, 10. Mechelen Carnival, 11. Mechelen Carnival, 12. Mechelen Carnival, 13. Mechelen Carnival