St. Rumbolds Cathedral
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St. Rumbolds Cathedral is the cathedral of Mechelen in Belgium.
The flat-topped silhouette of the St. Rumbolds Cathedral is easily recognizable and dominates the surroundings. This never-completed monument is 97.28 meters high and has 514 stairs which are visited by thousands of tourists every year. The tower counts 49 bells, each of them with its’ own name. Salvator weighs 8884 kilograms, Jehsus was built in 1460 and the Liberation was the newest addition in 1947. 39 Stairs above this carillon, there is a second complete carillon on which during the summer months concerts are still being played. The total weight of both these carillons is over 80 tons and counts 98 bells.
The cathedral was built in honor of Saint Rombout who was a seventh century Irish missionary and it is rumored that his remains are buried inside the cathedral. 25 Paintings in the choir illustrate his life. The construction was started shortly after 1200 and during the final phase in 1452-1520 the tower of the cathedral itself was constructed. The original design called for a 77 meter high pointed top of the tower, but only 7 meters of those were ever realized, hence the unusual form.