Antwerp must love Mary. I looked it up: 57% of Antwerp’s population is Catholic. Numerous non-religious buildings have statues of the Madonna and Child just above the ground floor. Some even have lamps to light the streets at night beneath Mary’s benevolent watch.
Many of these Madonnas were placed on their buildings in the 17th and 18th centuries; there was both a spiritual and a very earthly pragmatic reason for their existence. Approximately 160 Madonna & Child statues can still be found around the city 3+ centuries later.
On the spiritual side, Mary blessed the passers-by below her. Residents and businesses placed her on their buildings as a sign of faith, devotion, and protection.
And on the earthly side, Mary was a tax exemption. Really! If you placed a Madonna statue on your building and kept it lit at night, the building owner would enjoy an exemption from Antwerp’s lighting tax and/or property tax.
