St. Rumbold's Cathedral - Construction

Construction

Building the church itself started shortly after 1200 and it was consecrated in 1312, when a part had become usable. From 1324 onwards the flying buttresses and revised choir structure obtained characteristics that would distinct Brabantian Gothic from French Gothic architecture. After the city fire of 1342, Master Mason Jean d'Oisy managed repairs and continued this 2nd phase that by his death in 1375 had shaped the prototype for that High Gothic style. His successors finished the vaults of the nave by 1437, and these of the choir by 1451.

During the final phase of 1452-1520, the tower was erected, financed by pilgrims and later by its proprietor, the City. Designed to reach 600 Mechlinian feet or about 167 metres, higher than any church tower would ever attain (the Ulm Minster with 161 metres since the 19th century), the very heavy St. Rumbold's tower was being built at earlier wetlands, though with only three metre deep foundations its spot appears to have been well-chosen. After a few years, in 1454, its chief architect Andries I Keldermans construed the Saint Livinus' Monster Tower (or St.-Lievensmonstertoren as it is called in Dutch) in Zierikzee (in the present-day Netherlands), where dreaded leaning or sagging of the tower (now 62 metres but designed for ca. 130) could wreck the church. This concern led to fully separated edifices, a solution as applied in Mechelen. At both places, in the early 16th century the upper part of the tower became forsaken, not for technical but for financial reasons. St-Rumbold's should have been topped by a 77-metre spire but only seven became built, hence the unusual shape. A deliberately weak connection closed the gap with the church upon finishing the construction.

The church functions as cathedral since 1559. In the 18th century, each capitals' surrounding ornament of sculped cabbage leafs that had been an inspiration for numerous Brabantine Gothic churches, was replaced with a double ring of crops. In 2005, after engineers had figured out the support capacity of ground and tower, there was talk of accomplishing the entire spire of the original drawings.