St. Charles Borromeo Church (Dutch: Sint-Carolus Borromeuskerk) is a Roman Catholicchurch in central Antwerp, Belgium, located on the Hendrik Conscienceplein. It was built in 1615–1621 as the Jesuit church of Antwerp, which was closed in 1773. It was rededicated in 1779 to Saint Charles Borromeo. The church was formerly known for 39 ceiling pieces by Peter Paul Rubens that were lost in a fire when lightning struck the church on 18 July 1718.
In 1617–18, Peter Paul Rubens painted two altarpieces. He was also commissioned to paint the ceiling pieces, for which he made the designs while the execution was done mostly by pupils, including Anthony van Dyck.[2] A contract was drawn up in 1620 by Jacobus Tirinus and the paintings were delivered a year later in time for the consecration.[2] Rubens received 7,000 guilders for his works in the church, and though the lavish decorations including sculptures and other artwork were well received, Tirinus was dismissed in 1625 for going beyond his budget.[2]
In 1718, the vault of the nave, including Rubens' ceiling paintings, was destroyed by fire. Jan Pieter van Baurscheidt the Elder restored the damaged parts according to the original plan, but replaced the original coffers with wide transverse arches. In 1773, the Society of Jesus was suppressed and the building was confiscated. It reopened in 1779, renamed St. Charles Borromeo Church, after Charles Borromeo.
A restoration campaign in the 1980s brought back the churche's Baroque splendor. Besides works by Rubens, the interior displays paintings by Gerard Seghers, Daniel Seghers, and Cornelis Schut.[1]
On 30 August 2009, a fire broke out again, but none of the important artworks were damaged.[3]
