Church bells, sea gulls and pilgrimage pathways, and books…textures of Antwerp…

Doing a little church history research this month in Antwerp, not just monastic beers but also churches!

 Got to visit this church again—Saint Carolus Borromeus. They gave a blessing to all visitors of the nations. Nice blessing, as i feel like a visitor everywhere I go, including the nation i was born in, but rarely get a specific blessings for being one. Afterwards, walked the pilgrim’s path (the northern leg of the medieval Camino trail) back up to our studio across from Jakob’s Kirk. Nice that these buildings are still offering creative haven and a chiming for travelers and those passing through, which in some sense, is all of us.

This particular church’s altar piece was by Rubens, and various other artist through the years. Nice to think about a time when the arts and the church worked in tandem-one blessing and helping express the other. It’s been a while unfortunately.

Also the light in this first Jesuit church square is always special and touched by tone.

This city is also intoned or telling its story, through church bells still, and not necessarily in a nostalgic or touristic way.

From our studio space, we encounter three layers of sonic ecclesial texture which ring daily—St Jakob’s, St Catherine’s and St Mary’s—the first, recalls history, deep rolling bells-take you to this century’s wars and the havening of Jews here (Red Star Line etc), the second, more a tingling, come to life sensation (God is not done with you Europe sense), while, St Mary’s carries a call to a wedding or banquet or both! Conversational intimacy! So much resides in the tone of a church bell, at least for whom it tolls!

Anyway, nice to be back among the gull calls, church bells  and a place to consider from…

 I like thinking of symbols which hold or express the identity of places. Here, church bells, sea gulls, and books; fashion and the arts rest on these. Monastic in that way. Makes sense, Thomas of Kempis and many other great monks (some of whom made great beer) resonated with this region. So do I. Thanks again Antwerp, see you soon creative friend! Still under construction all of us.