Saints & Heroes: Saint Justus, Rubens and the pilgrims
until 15 November
Exhibition
Saints & Heroes: Saint Justus, Rubens and the pilgrims
A spectacular highlight of the theme year: the exceptional ‘reunion’ of the St Justus relic and Rubens’ masterpiece *Le Miracle de St. Just*, alongside special loans from Belgium and the Netherlands. A unique opportunity to discover a fascinating chapter of Zutphen’s and Europe’s history at the Stedelijk Museum Zutphen.
In the exhibition ‘Saints & Heroes – Saint Justus, Rubens and the Pilgrims’, two masterpieces are being reunited for the first time in 240 years. The Saint Justus relic is returning to Zutphen and will be displayed alongside the accompanying altarpiece *The Miracle of Saint Justus* by Peter Paul Rubens, dating from 1636. These objects are accompanied by special loans from Belgium and the Netherlands centred on the theme of pilgrimage and veneration.
Precious relic of St Justus temporarily returns to Zutphen after 400 years
In the late Middle…
Saints & Heroes: Saint Justus, Rubens and the pilgrims
A spectacular highlight of the theme year: the exceptional ‘reunion’ of the St Justus relic and Rubens’ masterpiece *Le Miracle de St. Just*, alongside special loans from Belgium and the Netherlands. A unique opportunity to discover a fascinating chapter of Zutphen’s and Europe’s history at the Stedelijk Museum Zutphen.
In the exhibition ‘Saints & Heroes – Saint Justus, Rubens and the Pilgrims’, two masterpieces are being reunited for the first time in 240 years. The Saint Justus relic is returning to Zutphen and will be displayed alongside the accompanying altarpiece *The Miracle of Saint Justus* by Peter Paul Rubens, dating from 1636. These objects are accompanied by special loans from Belgium and the Netherlands centred on the theme of pilgrimage and veneration.
Precious relic of St Justus temporarily returns to Zutphen after 400 years
In the late Middle Ages, Zutphen possessed important relics of the child saint Saint Justus. Due to the Reformation, Canon Egbert Spitholt took the saint’s precious skull to Antwerp for safekeeping. In his will, he stipulated that the relic should be returned to Zutphen as soon as the Catholic faith was restored there. Although this happened as early as 1815, the skull remained in Antwerp, where it has been kept in St Carolus Borromeus Church since 1785.
Rubens’ altarpiece is travelling to the Netherlands for the first time
Following Spitholt’s death in 1627, a cult of Saint Justus emerged in Antwerp. Commissioned by the Antwerp publisher Moretus, the great Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens painted a large altarpiece in 1636 depicting the miraculous story of Saint Justus. This monumental work has been housed at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux since the nineteenth century and is travelling to the Netherlands for the first time especially for the ‘Saints & Heroes’ exhibition.
On display from 18 July to 15 November 2026 at Stedelijk Museum Zutphen.
Don’t miss the exhibition ‘Saints & Heroes – Iconic photographs by Eddy Posthuma de Boer’ at Museum Henriette Polak (on display from 18 July).
Contact
's-Gravenhof 4
7201 DN Zutphen Plan your route to Saints & Heroes: Saint Justus, Rubens and the pilgrims
When
- Every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until 15 November 2026
