The memorial stone shows the floor plan of the abbey. — © Frederik Beyens
With a memorial stone, Antwerp commemorates the foundation of St. Michael’s Abbey in 1124. That building determined the appearance of the city for seven centuries, but has disappeared from the collective memory of many Antwerp residents since its demolition in the 19th century.
Anyone who walked along the Scheldt quays in 2022 may remember the archaeological excavations of St. Michael’s Abbey. The size of this structure therefore became clear. In the meantime, these remains are back under the Scheldt quays.
To remind Antwerp residents of this immense abbey, a memorial stone was placed on May 4 at the playground next to Sint-Michielskaai. It consists of a circle of 150 centimeters in diameter in bluestone with the floor plan of St. Michael’s Abbey.
The inscription in Latin ‘Abbatia Sancti Michaelis Antverpiae MCXXIV-MDCCCXXX’ is placed around it, which means: Saint Michael’s Abbey Antwerp 1124-1830. An information panel was placed nearby with more information about the disappeared abbey.
Exhibition
The working group will also hold a study day in Antwerp on May 4 Norbertine history in the Netherlands about the subject Norbertus on the Scheldt. 900 years of St. Michael’s Abbey in Antwerp.
A mini exhibition with extensive documents about this abbey will take place in the Felixpakhuis between May 4 and September 8. This is supplemented with images of the archaeological excavations. St. Michael’s Abbey will be included in the program of Open Monument Day on September 8.
History of St. Michael’s Abbey
St. Michael’s Abbey grew into a powerful and wealthy monastery that played an important role in the social and political life of Antwerp for centuries. The impressive monastery complex flourished in the 14th and 15th centuries and at that time housed rulers and other important personalities. When visiting Antwerp, renowned guests always stayed in the Prinsenhof, the luxurious guesthouse of the abbey.
After the closure of the monastery in the French period (1794-1815), the complex began to decline. The abbey was plundered, damaged and repaired several times, and lost its glory. She suffered the final blow during the Belgian Revolution (1830-1831). The Antwerp showpiece that once shone on the banks of the Scheldt was demolished shortly afterwards, and the remains disappeared underground.
READ ALSO. Ecstatic Bart De Wever takes a last look at St. Michael’s Abbey before a new section of quays is being renovated: “The mighty abbey disappeared beneath the city”
A view of the Sint-Michielsabij from the Kloosterstraat in 1659. — © University of Antwerp
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