The largest Gothic church in the Low Countries and the dominant feature of Antwerp's skyline — the northern tower reaches 123 metres, and a single stair of 514 steps leads to the top. The southern tower was never completed; the asymmetry is one of the building's distinguishing marks.
Inside, the cathedral holds four of Rubens's greatest paintings: the Raising of the Cross and Descent from the Cross (1610–14) on the side altars, Assumption of the Virgin on the high altar, and Resurrection of Christ in the Moretus chapel. The Descent in particular is one of the supreme Baroque paintings of any city. The light through the medieval stained glass and the seventeenth-century black-and-white marble floor are both worth time. Climb the tower if it is open — the queue moves slowly but the panoramic view is the best in the city.