5 unique Virgin Mary statues in Antwerp

A fanatical devotion to the Virgin Mary developed in Antwerp under Spanish rule in the 17th century. Intended as a counterblast to the Protestant revolt in the north, the cult led to the beautiful statues of the Virgin and Child you see on many buildings. One of the most striking examples can be seen at the end of the Pelgrimstraat.

Wearing a red dress and blue cape, this statue of the Virgin holds Jesus while a green snake slithers around her feet. She is protected from the rain by a green canopy hung with seven bells, and the sculpture is lit at night by an elaborate street lamp decorated with more bells.

On a corner near the Plantin-Moretus Museum, this statue of the Virgin and Child stands on a base surrounded by three angels’ heads. A simple grey canopy keeps off the rain.

This beautiful baroque statue of the Virgin was carved for a chapel in the Keizerstraat that was later demolished. The Virgin, in flowing robes, stands on a blue globe with a serpent at her feet, while two angels float at her side.

Attached to a house corner opposite De Kat cafe, this slender Madonna holds a Child wearing a gold crown. The figures are sheltered by a wooden arch painted blue with a beautiful gilded sunburst above.