St. James' Church
Sint-Jakobskerk

It’s a must-see for those intrigued by Antwerp’s history & lovers of Gothic architecture. Everyone should at least see the burial place of painter Peter Paul Ruebens

This historically important church has a long story to tell. This church took 160+ years to build. We’re just glad they didn’t give up halfway. The church is currently being renovated so some of it is blocked off, but you can still look around most of it.

The church is known for being the burial place of artist Ruebens. It’s also on the map for being the starting point for those on pilgrimage to see the burial place of Saint James the Greater (one of the 12 apostles of Jesus) in Santiago de Compostela. But there’s a lot more to this church than even that!

• The outside is completely Brabantine Gothic but inside is even more ornate in Baroque style. There’s multiple Baroque style churches in Antwerp, but none of them can quite match the sheer number of major figures buried in their church.
• This church is a must for those intrigued by Antwerp’s history. You can see the graves of the people you’ve seen in museum signs like artist Peter Paul Ruebens, multiple lord mayors, and nobles from House van de Werve (one of the oldest noble families from Antwerp that is still going today)
• It’s commonly known that Ruebens is buried here, but did you know that he also got married to his second wife here in 1630? Her name was Hélène Fourment. She was the daughter of a rich silk merchant from Antwerp
• Don’t miss the organs. The church has multiple organs and they’ve been played by amazing musicians over the course of Antwerp’s history including Mozart in 1727