Saint Andrew’s Church
The choir
Above this baptismal fontThe stone or metal vessel containing holy water, used for administering baptism. Often the baptismal font is/was located in a specially designed baptistery, usually close to the entrance of the church. a.o. the famous Flemish authors Hendrik Conscience (1812) and Lode Zielens (1903) were christened.
Choir stallsA series of seats, usually in wood, along the long sides of the choir. These seats are reserved for those who pray and sing the choir prayers. (end 16th century)
The guardian angel, painting by Erasmus Quellinus II (1667).
Dame Fortune seduces a young man three times: she offers him the laurel crown of fame and a golden crown of power, while with a sceptre she points at the riches in the bags with golden coins.
Paintings of the 36 saints, on panel, Thedoor Boeyermans, 17th century.
After the Antwerp Our Saviour’s AbbeyA set of buildings used by monks or nuns. Only Cistercians, Benedictines, Norbertines and Trappists have abbeys. An abbey strives to be self-sufficient., in Pieter Potstraat, had been closed, the relics of 36 saints found a home in the church in 1802. In 1845 Jan Pieter Antoon Verschuylen made their enormous silver reliquaryContainer for relics. Often this is a philatory: a decorated glass holder on a pedestal, in which a relic can be placed for veneration. It is important to know that relics cannot be worshipped, only venerated., which was carried by 16 men in the magnificent former times processions. Today the shrineA decorated casket in which a relic is preserved. can be admired in the church, next to the entrance.
Most of the 17th century panels that used to be part of it are now above the choirIn a church with a cruciform floor plan, the part of the church that lies on the side of the nave opposite to the transept. The main altar is in the choir. stalls. At the occasion of the procession the whole collection was exhibited on an enormous plinth in the middle of the church. There are different kinds of saints: martyrs, including SaintThis is a title that the Church bestows on a deceased person who has lived a particularly righteous and faithful life. In the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Church, saints may be venerated (not worshipped). Several saints are also martyrs. Agatha, who lost a breast by amputation; Saint Anselm as a spiritual writer; Saint Giles the hermitA person who lives alone and isolated from the world in order to live a sober and pious life. The home of a hermit is called “hermitage”.; Saint Ivo, a socially inspired lawyer who worked ‘pro Deo’; and an example of charity such as Saint Elisabeth of Hungary. Watch attentively and you will notice that eight photos of more recent saints have been added: among them Thomas More, fatherPriest who is a member of a religious order. Damian and Edith Stein. A mirror is the final point: can you discover the possibly new saint?