Aartsbisschoppelijk Paleis van Mechelen, Episcopal palace in Mechelen, Belgium

The Aartsbisschoppelijk Paleis van Mechelen is a neoclassical episcopal palace at Wollemarkt, near Sint-Romboutskathedraal. Its design by Italian architect Filippo Barigioni (plan of 1741) gives a U-shaped plan around a courtyard, with three plastered, white-painted wings. The long facade has a grey base, two storeys of tall rectangular windows with white frames and louvred shutters, and a projecting cornice under a grey sloped roof.

Cardinal Thomas Philippe d'Alsace commissioned construction of the palace between 1719 and 1741, replacing two patrician houses that had previously served as refuge for Affligem Abbey. During French occupation in 1789, the building temporarily became a brewery after its north wing and parts of the east wing were demolished.

The palace has housed the archbishops of Mechelen without interruption since Engelbert Sterckx moved in in 1832. A portrait of Cardinal Godfried Danneels was unveiled there on the occasion of his retirement. The garden has been open to the public as a silence garden since 23 March 2019, a few days a week.

The interior of the palace is generally closed to the public, but visitors can explore the palace garden and arrange group tours to see the entrance hall and chapel. It is best to visit the exterior at Wollemarkt and check ahead about any special access opportunities.

The palace stands on the site of two patrician houses that served as a refuge for Affligem Abbey until the abbey was annexed to the Archdiocese of Mechelen after 1559. The Italian architect Filippo Barigioni drew up the 1741 plan that gave the building its U-shaped layout.