Exterior view

In the Late Gothic period the wealthy towns and cities in the Netherlands placed great value on high church towers, which became virtual skyscrapers, the architectural symbols of the towns and their citizens. Façades with two towers tend to be the exception in the Netherlands.

In Antwerp the large church of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal (Cathedral of Our Lady) was given a huge, five-axis west from with two towers, and was thus built in the manner of a perfect cathedral, only the north tower was finally built to its full height, in the first quarter of the 16th century. It is of outstanding beauty, its delicate structure making it look like a great piece of goldsmith's work. As on a Gothic monstrance, slim pinnacles surround the top two stories, which are linked to the octagonal body of the tower.

The character of the octagonal body of tower was established by Utrecht's Dom Church (Domkerk).

View the ground plan of Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp.