You might not notice them at first, but the streets of Antwerp are dotted with statues of the Madonna. You spot them in little niches on the corner of houses, half hidden by creepers, lit at night by a solitary street lamp. There are more than 150 in the old town.
Painted bright colours, and protected from the rain by elaborate canopies, the figures represent the Virgin and Child. Or they honour minor female saints. There is one named after Our Lady of the Swan Song. Another is called Our Lady of the Fireplace.
The Madonnas are relics of the Counter Reformation, when strict Catholics ruled over Antwerp. The Virgin was part of a propaganda war waged against the Protestants.
Derek Blyth’s hidden secret of the day: Derek Blyth is the author of the bestselling “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Belgium”. He picks out one of his favourite hidden secrets for The Brussels Times every day.
