Kapucijnenklooster

Kapucijnenklooster is a Capuchin friary complex in Antwerp, standing on Korte Winkelstraat on a site that had already housed a convent since 1619. Today the complex stretches between Korte Winkelstraat and Italiëlei, combining the Church of Saint Francis with plain, brick monastery buildings around it.

How did this site come to be a Capuchin friary?

The plot's monastic history actually predates the Capuchins. In 1630 a convent was built here for sisters from Oostmalle, who had settled in Antwerp eleven years earlier. That community's story was not a smooth one: the convent was closed down in 1798, and for decades afterward the church building was reduced to serving as a plain warehouse.

Things changed only in the mid-19th century, when the Capuchin friars returned to Antwerp. In 1856 they purchased the site of the former convent, and the restored church reopened for worship on 21 November 1856. That reopening was only the first step in reclaiming the site — construction of a new monastery began in mid-1866 and was finished by October 1867, giving the friars a proper home built specifically for their community.

The final major phase came with the construction of a new, larger church dedicated to Saint Francis, dated to 1892. It is this church that still dominates the complex today and gives it its distinctive Neo-Gothic character.

What does the architecture look like?

The 1892 church was built in Neo-Gothic style, in brick with decorative bluestone detailing. It takes the form of a basilica on a Latin-cross plan, with a nave of five bays and a polygonal bell tower rising above the choir — a layout typical of Neo-Gothic design that lends the interior a sense of height and lightness despite the heavy brick construction.

The monastery buildings surrounding the church, built mainly between 1866 and 1867, are far more austere: plain brickwork without the decorative ambition of the church itself. That contrast between a monumental church and a modest, workmanlike monastery reflects the Capuchin order's long-standing emphasis on simplicity of life.

What artworks can be found inside?

The church interior holds a handful of notable artistic elements. Its stained-glass windows, by Marc De Groot, date from 1959 and belong to a later layer of the building's decoration. In the cloister garden stands a sculpture of the Immaculate Conception by J.B. De Vos, dated 1859 — a piece older than the current church building, likely carried over from an earlier phase of the site.

The church organ has its own well-traveled history: built in 1910, it originally served the Capuchin monastery in Izegem before that building was demolished. The instrument found a new home in the Saint Francis church in Antwerp only in 2017, decades after it was first built.

Is the complex protected today?

Yes. Both the church and the surrounding monastery buildings have been listed as protected architectural heritage, a status granted on 29 March 2019. As a result, the complex remains well preserved and stands as one of Antwerp's more notable examples of Neo-Gothic religious architecture.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Kapucijnenklooster located? The complex sits in central Antwerp on Korte Winkelstraat, with the plot extending as far as Italiëlei.

Who is the monastery church dedicated to? The church is dedicated to Saint Francis, and its current building dates from 1892.

Is this the same building as the former Oostmalle sisters' convent? Not exactly — the sisters' original 1630 convent was closed in 1798, and the Capuchins took over the site in 1856, gradually replacing it with their own new buildings.

Is the friary protected as heritage today? Yes, since 29 March 2019 the complex has held protected architectural heritage status.