Enclosed within a highly attractive Italianesque square known as the Hendrik Conscience-plein, the Carolus Borromeus Church is one of the most beautiful looking buildings in Antwerp. Designed by the Jesuits François d'Aguilon and Pieter Huyssens, it was built between 1614 and 1621. In 1718, the church was struck by lightning which in turn started a fire and destroyed most of the interior. It was later restored by J.P. Van Baurscheit I, but a great deal of the interior was lost for good, including the original marble and most tragically, 39 ceiling paintings by P.P. Rubens.
The Carolus Borromeus Church was sold in 1733 by the Jesuits, and became its own separate parish church in 1803. The building was restored several times during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Much of the interior which was originally designed by P.P. Rubens, and includes a monumental pulpit located in the middle of the nave. Eight confessional boxes are built in to the panels of the side walls. The baroque church also includes a good selection of wood carvings and sculptures.
During the seventies, the small square at the Carolus Borromeus church became the first area to be declared a pedestrian zone in Antwerp, following a series of protests against the use of cars in the city center. You'll also find here the statue of the writer Hendrik Conscience, the man after whom the square was named.
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