Antwerp No. 2 / Amberes / Antwerpen / Anvers

An object that now stands in a corridor of Sint Pauluskerk. Antwerp, has had a varied life. A communication to BSI by Pol Herman (e-mail of 5 June 2023) informs of some of its adventures since it first appeared inside the disappeared Sint-Walburgiskerk in a 1661 painting by Antoon Gunther Gheringh; there is stands, all by itself, in the centre of the nave, serving obviously as a holy-water stoup; the rather shallow basin with a gadrooned underbowl shows much as it does today, but the base on which it stands appears as a more characteristic of the period, a baluster-shaped pedestal typical of the period, the 17th century. Sint-Walburgiskerk had already had an eventful history since its original 8th-century date; destroyed by the Vikings in 836, it made its appearance again as chapel of the mid-10th century castle built by emperor Otto I; it was re-built by the Benedictins of Affligem Abbey ca. 1250; it became parochial with rights to baptism and burial in 1478, and was enlarged ca. 1500; the French Revolution saw it reduced to a warehouse and naval depot; it became dilapidated and was eventually demolished in 1817. In the meantime the old stoup from Sint-Walburgiskerk had been moved to Sint-Pauluskerk to serve as baptismal font in the baptistery build in the Calvary garden [Calvarieberg] there; the baptistery was destroyed by a fire in April 1968 but the font survived, and was moved inside the church. Recently, adds Pol Herman, a new movable font was acquired and the former stoup now stands in an annexed corridor. [NB: we have no information on any of the fonts of either of the medieval churches of Sint Walburgis or Sint Paulus]