St. James' Chapel

The Sint-Jacobskapel is a chapel located on the Grote Markt of the city of Lier, in the Belgian province of Antwerp. This Gothic chapel was built by the city council in 1383 and dedicated to James the Greater. She was ravaged by fire in 1479 and repaired shortly afterwards. During the difficult years of iconoclasm in the 16th century, the chapel was plagued by atrocities and had to be consecrated afterwards. In 1636, the Jesuits officially became chaplains of the Spanish troops in Lier during the Spanish Era. A total of 38 Spanish governors were active in Lier between 1560 and 1712. Because the chapel was used as a parish church for the Spanish troops, people in Lier soon spoke of the Spanish chapel. A nickname that is still used today. During the First World War, the chapel was set on fire by the Germans, but after the First World War it was almost completely rebuilt by the Lierse contractor Florent D'Hulst according to plans by the Leuven architect Frans Vandendael. However, the restoration was influenced by Canon Lemaire. It has been protected since 1939. The chapel is located on the pilgrimage route to Compostella.

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