The restoration work on the former residence and studio of the artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) in Antwerp has uncovered the foundations of a 16th century Calvinist temple in the property's garden. Previously the renovation work at the Rubens House that is now a museum had uncovered the remains of a goatskin tannery dating from the 14th century.
The temple, of which only the bases of four brick pillars with a height of 1.3 to 2 metres remain, dates back to around 1566, the time of the Iconoclastic Riots. The temple will have been built to give Protestants in Antwerp a place of worship within the city walls. The archaeologists that discovered the temple plan to give more details about it during a press conference that is planned for Sunday 1 October.
The mayor of Antwerp Bart De Wever (Flemish nationalist), himself an historian, recalled that in April 1567, the governess and regent of The Netherlands Margaret of Parma had put an end to religious tolerance, after a long period during which the municipal authorities had attempted to reconcile commercial interests with the growth of various Protestant communities in Antwerp.
"The Calvinist temple was then dismantled, which made it possible to pay soldiers. Paradoxically, it was Rubens, whose father Jan was a convinced Calvinist that had fled the Duke of Alba’s Council of Troubles, that built his house and workshop here in the 17th century. So, the most impressive paintings of the Catholic Counter-Reformation saw the light of day on the remains of a Calvinist temple. This reminds us of the importance democratic values of respect, tolerance, freedom and equality”, Mr De Wever said.