Mechelen

Mechelen (also Malines), city in northern Belgium, in Antwerp Province, on the Dyle River near Brussels. It is a thriving textile centre, but no longer produces the lace that once made it famous. As the see of the Roman Catholic primate of Belgium, it retains ecclesiastical importance. The 13th-century cathedral of St Rombaut contains works by the Flemish painter Sir Anthony Van Dyck, and the churches of St John and of Our Lady both contain works by the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens. Population 78,680 (2006 estimate).