Nederland: kerken en kloosters

The Bonifatiuskerk (Saint Boniface Church) is one of the oldest churches in southeast of the province of Friesland . The church building is the historical centre of the village. At its foundation the church was dedicated to Bonifatius . In a document from 1553 the church is referred to as the Parish Church of “H. Vitus te Antiqua Bercoop in Stellingwerff”. The construction of the oldest parts of the church was probably completed around the year 1125. The old churchyard of the church is surrounded by a rustic ring wall, made of Frisian bricks. The ring wall probably dates from the beginning of the 17th century, the same period in which the tower was restored after earlier destruction. The wall was intended to separate the consecrated soil around the church from the unconsecrated ground outside. Old prints show some entrance gates with stepped gables; probability there were four of them in total, one for each cardinal direction. The western (main image) gate was reconstructed in 2012. After the reformation, the church was given a Protestant signature. The complex ofchurch, churchyard and ring wall is a national monument owned by the local protestant congregation.

The Sint-Plechelmusbasiliek (Basilica of St. Plechelm) is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to the 8th -century Irish monk Saint Plechelm. The church is a fine example of Romanesque architecture, built entirely from Bentheim sandstone and is most notable for its high pitched roof and bell tower. The oldest parts of the impressive church date from the middle and second half of the 12th century, but the history of the church goes back to the 8th century when the travelling missionary Plechelmus founded the first church: Sivester church, initially dedicated to pope Sivester and sometime before 954 rededicated to Plechelmus itself (canonised after the elevation of his relics). In 954 bisshop Balderik of Utrecht founded a chapter in Oldenzaal and expanded and restored the 8th -century church, allowing the relics of Plechelmus used on his canonisation to be transferred to it. The current tower was erected around 1240. The church was enlarged in Gothic style in 1480s. Through the years the Sint-Plechelmusbasiliek has undergone a number of renovations and repairs, however most of its structure still boasts of its original features.

The H.H. Simon en Judaskerk (H.H. Simon and Jude Church) is a Roman Catholic, dedicated to the Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddaeus. The church is the only example in Westphalian Romanogothic style in The Netherlands. Although already mentioned in 1162, it largely dates from the 13th century. In 1491-1492 a new late-Gothic choir was added, followed by a second transept east of the old one. Except for one window above the south portal, all windows have been enlarged. The entire church is built of Bentheimer stone. From 1626 until 1809 the church was used by the Protestants. In that year King Lodewijk assigned the church building to Roman Catholics, as the Protestant congregation was much smaller. When it was returned to the Catholics, it was in a bad state. The original Romanesque tower was replaced by a new facade and a small wooden tower in 1842.

The first stone church in Oude Niedorp was built on a mound around 1250. The church had to be demolished in the 14th century due to subsidence of the peat soil. The 'present' church was built against the tower, which had remained. The church was dedicated to St. Werenfridus until the time of the Reformation. At the end of the 15th century two naves were added to the ship, which were pulled down again in the 18th century. After the stone tower was demolished and rebuilt twice due to subsidence, a wooden tower was added to the church in 1814. After restoration of the church in the 16th and 17th centuries, a last general restoration followed in 1953/54. On 3 April 1977, the church was destroyed by lightning. The walls - dating from the year 1648 - were retained, which the municipality - the current owner - is trying to preserve as a monument from the past after a renovation in 2011/2013. The ruined church in Oude Niedorp is one of the four ruined churches in the Netherlands.

The protestant Sint-Agathakerk - before the refomation dedicated to St. Agatha - is dating back to the year of 1090. The church was originally built as a Romanesque church and was later rebuilt in a Gothic style. The detached tower, built around 1140 as a Romanesque defence tower, of which the spire was replaced in 1888 by a tented roof, has walls more than one meter thick, tuff on the outside and bricks on the inside. The tower has one clock from the 14th century; most probably the oldest clock in the Netherlands (another one is from 1949). In the 14th century the church was lengthened with a choir and two Gothic entrances were added to the nave. Most of the building is of tuff, but the Gothic former northern entrance is of brick. The shape of the choir changed in 1599, when the apse was replaced by the current east wall. In 1717 bigger windows were added to the nave and the east wall. The Sint-Agathakerk is listed as a national monument and is rated with a very high historical value.

The Basilica of Oudenbosch - officialy Basilica of H.H. Agatha and Barbara - is a Roman Catholic church in the village of Oudenbosch in the province of North Brabant. The initiative for building this church was taken by father Willem Hellemons (parish priest 1842 - 1884), who had a great devotion to the Pope and the city of Rome. He inspired his 3.500 parishoners that much that within months, he collected enough money to start building the church. Famous Dutch architect Dr. P. Cuijpers - responsible for the Rijksmuseum and Central Station in Amsterdam -designed a church with nave and interior modeled aftter St. Peters’ Basilica in Rome. With a length of 81 metres, a width of 55 metres and a highest point of the dome at 63 metres, the internal space of the basilica is 16 times smaller than that of Saint Peter’s. But it is still quite impressive, especially given its location in a rather small town. The façade - designed by Prof. G.J. van Swaay - is a copy of the front of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Construction started in 1865 and was completed in 1892. In 1912 the church was elevated to the rank of ‘basilica’. The interior is richly decorated with frescoes and sculptures. Most paintings in the church were hand painted on site (also in the big dome) by local C. Raaymakers and most statues are made by Antwerp artist F. de Vriendt. A narrow staircase with more than 140 steps brings one to the dome - nearly 30 metres above the floor of the church - with amazing views into the basilica.

In the centre of Oudenbosch - not far away from the impressive basilica: www.ipernity.com/doc/294067/46381994 - is the Big Chapel of the former boys boarding school Instituut Saint Louis . This boarding school was led by the Congregation of the Brothers of Aloysius Gonzaga; better known as the Brothers of Saint Louis. The neo-baroque chapel - modelled after Italian model with some similarities with the Saint Peter in Rome - and its former boarding school complex were built in 1865-1866. The interior is richly decorated and still almost intact with a 30 metres high dome, realised in 1889 (due to the limited opening hours we couldn’t visit the interior of the chapel). In 2008, the Saint Louis Chapel was transferred to a foundation ( Stichting Behoud Cultureel Erfgoed Saint Louis for the preservation of this cultural heritage in Oudenbosch. This foundation wants to ensure that the chapel will be preserved and that it will accommodate social and cultural activities, like concerts and exhibitions. The rest of the institute's buildings are renovated and act as appartments, a senior home and a hotel

Oudeschans is a village with a population of less than 100 people in the Dutch province of Groningen. The 16th-century fortification is now a state protected village area with a couple of national heritage sites, among which a 17th-century garrison church. The former garrison church was built in 1626 and originally served the military stationed here. It is an extremely austere hall church. In 1772, the church and the presbytery were joined together to form a whole, which is quite exceptional. The church of Oudeschans serves as a multifunctional centre for the village. It functions as polling station, village hall, concert hall and wedding hall. Once a year, on New Year's Eve, a service is held in the church.

When nowadays visiting Ransdorp, it is almost unbelievable this rural and pastoral village once was a medium sized trading village with more ships at sea than Amsterdam. During the Golden Age of this area - about 1450-1570 - numerous shipping entrepreneurs and skippers lived in Ransdorp. Around 1545, more people from Waterland than from Amsterdam sailed to the Baltic Sea. The richly decorated flat and oversized church tower - late gothic style - reminds the people of Ransdorp of the heyday of their village. A lovely village - just 8 km’s from Amsterdam - with wooden green coloured houses. It is a tiny place with about 250 inhabitants. At thirty-two metres in height it is far-and-away the tallest building, not just in the village but in all the villages in the area. Started in the first half of the 16th century, the tower was supposed to have a spire but was never completed, most probably due to a lack of money. The church itself was built in 1719 and replaced an church from the Middle Ages. Nowadays it use for expositions, receptions and other cultural events. During the summer season the church and tower are open for visitors and you can climb the 155 stair steps to the top of the tower for a stunning view over the surrounding area.

The reformed Grote- of Schildkerk is the oldest church in Rijssen - a town which became city rights in the year of 1243. Its oldest part is the northern wall, which originally was part of a Romanesque church and dates back to the 12th century. Its current shape largely dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. In the early 16th century a second aisle was added, transforming the building in a two-aisled hall-church, like many churches in the province of Overijssel. The neo-classical front was added in 1828-1829 to replace the Romanesque tower which had collapsed in 1826. In 1924-1925 the church was once again enlarged. Architect Tj. Kuipers added a third nave in neo-Gothic style, consisting of three traves, each with a seperate gable and roof and a choir-like eastern part. The name of the Grote- of Schildkerk was Dionysius Church until 1598. The church derives its current name from its location on the square Het Schild .

The Munsterkerk , or officially Onze Lieve Vrouwe Munsterkerk (Munster Church of our Blessed Mother Mary) is located in the heart of Roermond and is considered being one of the most beautiful remaining examples of late Roman architecture in the Netherlands. Together with some other churches, the town hall and the Princenhof it reflects the glory of the city’s past. Munsterkerk was built during the period from 1220 to 1265 as an abbey church and place of burial for its founders. For almost six centuries - until 1798 - it served as a monastery. In the 19th century a military barracks was housed in the abbey and the church became part of the barracks. The church has been mostly spared by calamites and has therefore retained much of its official character. The most far reaching restoration took place at the end of the 19th century under the supervision of the famous Dutch architect P. Cuypers. In 1992 Munsterkerk was struck by an earthquake, after which the eastern towers had to be rebuilt. Having been an abbey church for the Cistercian order of nuns in Roermond for almost six centuries its interior is not as sumptuous as in many aother catholic churches. Although not that huge I was quite impressed by the sober, yet impressive interior of the church. It has some interesting and beautiful elements, a few of which I have photographed. PiP 1: interior of the Munster Church PiP 2: the church served as the sepulchral church for Duke Gerard IV van Gelre. Nine centuries later, the princely mausoleum of him and his wife Duchess Margaretha van Braqbant is one of the highlights of the church. PiP 3: above the tomb hangs a gilded wrought-iron neo-Roman chandelier, which was donated in 1899. PiP 4: the apse is the oldest part of the church. It has beautiful stained-glass windows in its uppermost section, representing several saints. They were made in 1953 by Gisèle Waterschoot van der Gracht.

The Munsterkerk (officially Onze Lieve Vrouwe Munsterkerk ) (Munster Church of our Blessed Mother Mary) is located in the heart of Roermond and is considered being one of the most beautiful remaining examples of architecture in late Romanesque style in the Netherlands. Munsterkerk was built during the period from 1220 to 1265 as an abbey church and place of burial for its founders. For almost six centuries - until 1798 - it served as a monastery church. In the 19th century military barracks were housed in the abbey and the church became part of the barracks. The church is the only remaining part of the abbey, the rest of which was demolished in 1924. Having been an abbey church for the Cistercian order of nuns in Roermond for almost six centuries its interior is not as sumptuous as in many aother catholic churches. It also served as the sepulchral church for count Gerard III van Gelre and his wife countess Margaretha van Brabant. Their tomb still has pride of place in the Munsterkerk . The church has been mostly spared by calamites and has therefore retained much of its original character. The most far reaching restoration took place at the end of the 19th century under the supervision of the famous Dutch architect P. Cuypers. In 1992 Munsterkerk was struck by an earthquake, after which the eastern towers had to be rebuilt. The Munsterkerk is a Dutch National Monument and is one of the top 100 Dutch heritage sites.

The late-gothic Sint-Christoffelkathedraal (St Christopher's Cathedral) is the cathedral of the diocese of Roermond. Construction started in 1410 - designed as a basilica on a cruciform ground plan - as a parish church to replace an older church outside the city walls. In the 15th century, the church was extensively rebuilt. The choir was extended and the nave was widened from three to five naves. The building was completed in the course of the 16th century. In 1661, Sint-Christoffel became the cathedral of the diocese of Roermond, which was founded 102 years earlier. In the church, all important events of the diocese take place, such as ordinations of priests and the installation of a new bishop. Sint-Christoffelkathedraal suffered severely from war damage during the World War II. The tower was blown up by the Germans one day before the liberation and rebuilt in a modified form after the war. It was not until 1957 that the rebuilding of the church was completed. On 13 April 1992, an earthquake near Roermond caused considerable damage. The church was renovated in 2005. The church with its lavish interior is known for its colourful stained-glass windows. On the 86-metre-high tower stands the gilded statue of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of the church and the city of Roermond. The cathedral can be visited daily.

Rolde, once the capital of the area known as the Rolderdingspel, had already a wooden church around the year of 900. Around 1200 the first stone church was built: a large Romanesque church with three naves. Most probably the construction of the present Jacobuskerk (James Church) began in the early 15th century and was inaugurated late 1427 or early 1428 and put into use as a roman catholic church. It became a protestant church after the reformation of 1598 (nowadays both protestants and catholics are using the old building for their services). The church has a remarkable high tower (52 meters), which is visible from far away and served in the past as a beacon for travelers to and from the city of Groningen. During the most recent restoration (1961 – ’64), the church was thoroughly reconstructed to its original form and changes from previous renovations were undone. The Jacobuskerk is beautifully located in the centre of Rolde, next to an old cemetery and two interesting dolmen. The church is open for visitors daily during summer season.

Rolde, once the capital of the area known as the Rolderdingspel, had already a wooden church around the year of 900. Around 1200 the first stone church was built: a large Romanesque church with three naves. Most probably the construction of the present Jacobuskerk (James Church) began in the early 15th century and was inaugurated late 1427 or early 1428 and put into use as a roman catholic church. It became a protestant church after the reformation of 1598 (nowadays both protestants and catholics are using the church for their services). The Jacobuskerk has a remarkable high tower (52 meters), which is visible from far away and served in the past as a beacon for travelers to and from the city of Groningen. During the most recent restoration (1961 – ’64), the church was thoroughly reconstructed to its original form and changes from previous renovations were undone. The Jacobuskerk is beautifully located in the centre of Rolde, next to an old cemetery and two interesting dolmens . The church is open for visitors daily during summer season. In Septmeber 2021 we were able to have a look inside. The colourful stained-glass windows in the choir were donated after the last restoration by, among others, the province of Drenthe and were made by the glazier Joep Nicolas. The banister organ is dating back around 1820 and was placed in Rolde in 1847. Early 2013, the last major restoration was completed and the organ has largely regained its original character.

Church of Schildwolde (Kerk van Schildwolde) dates from the 17th century. The present church was built on the foundations of an older church from the 13th century. The Reformed church is a simple aisle less church built of brick, which is plastered. The church was consecrated in 1686. The most striking part of the complex is the detached bell tower, dating back at least to the year 1289 and once belonging to the former church. The roof of the spire is not made of roof tiles, but entirely built in brick. The tower has a height of 46 metres. The tower in Schildwolde is one of the two remaining so called ‘juffertorens’ (‘damsel towers’) in the province of Groningen. There is a legend about the ‘juffertorens’, saying: once there were three very rich but 'sinful' sisters (the ‘damsels') who thought only of their appearance. They regretted their sins and promised they would each build a tower as penance for their sins. But most probably the name ‘juffertoren’ is less prosaic: this kind of narrow tapering church towers were called after a ‘juffer’, which in Dutch also is a long tapering pine trunk.

The church of Sint Anna ter Muiden has a long and checkered history. The massive tower - dating back to the 14th century - is the only building still showing the former glory of the city. It is the only (Flemish polder) tower built in the style of the Scheldt Gothic in the Netherlands. The church tower was also used as a lighthouse when the town had an important harbour in the 14th century. The church was probably originally a cruciform church. The building was partially destroyed by English soldiers. After the Eighty Years War the church was completely destructed and the tower is the only remnant of the originally church. In 1653 the current Dutch Reformed church was built on the south side against the stubby tower. The church was dedicated to the grandmother of Jesus, St. Anna. Mude - as the city was called - was in the Middle Ages even a place of pilgrimage to the Holy Anna.

The Basiliek van de H.H. Wiro, Plechelmus en Otgerus in Romanesque style - standing on top of the Sint Petrusberg on the outskirts of the village - is an impressive sight. Its history goes back to the first half of the 8th century, when three Anglo-Saxon priests founded a monastery here. In the 9th century this monastery became a refuge for the chapter of the cathedral in Utrecht; they stayed here until 1361. After a century of decay the former monastery became a convent. The church was handed to the parish in 1680. The original church was a one-aisled building with a westwork and a narrower choir. Of that building nothing remains above the ground. A new nave was built in the 11th century, followed by transept, choir and towers in the 12th century. The current look of the church however is in many ways the result of a restoration by the famous Dutch architect P.J.H. Cuypers from 1880 until 1883. He restored the church according to his own ideas, which usually meant reconstruction, leading to the loss of historical value. In this particular case, parts that had vanished long ago, like the side-aisles, the southern tower and the two choirs on the transept-arms, were rebuilt. Older parts were often replaced by new ones. Of the original building little was left. World War II worsened the situation even more. On January 26th of 1945 German troops needlessly destroyed the church. After the war the church was almost completely rebuilt.