Nederland - Huizen, Oude Kerk

The Oude Kerk may be justly called ‘Old Church’: around the year of 1380 the church replaced a chapel from the 10th century on the same location. Both were dedicated to St. Thomas. Construction of the church was completed in 1409 and an independent parish was founded in Huizen.

In 1577 the village was hit by a tornado and the roof of the church was blown away. It took sixty years before the damage was repaired, most probably due to a lack of resources. In 1637 the “Oude Kerk’ was inaugurated again.

In 1870 the church was transformed into a cruciform. The northern side of this construction is still present and used as a meeting room. On the south side this was completely undone in 1908, when the reformed church decided to expand that part of the church with a modern semicircular extension (PiP).

The latest renovations of the ‘Oude Kerk’ took place in 1958 (reducing the number of seats in the church to 1.200) and in 1987.