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Oisterwijk (NB)

 

 

 

 

 

P.J.H. Cuypers' St. Petrus' Banden replaced a previous church on the same location in 1897. This church is a highlight in Cuypers' career and one of his first attempts at a centralizing ground plan, following the example of the Liebfrauenkirche in the German city of Trier.

 

 

 

 

 

This protestant church is a so-called Napoleon's church, named after king Lodewijk Napoleon (Louis Napoleon), the "emperor"'s younger brother, who personally donated large sums of money in order to give protestants new churches in cases where they were forced to abandon the former catholic churches, which were far too big for them anyway, when these were returned to their rightful owners, in the case of Oisterwijk the old St. Peter. It's a small, modest building in neo-classical style and dates from 1810.

 

 

 

 

 

The St. Johannes van Oisterwijk is a church built in a mixture of expresionistic and traditionalistic styles, with a few references to Gothic architecture, by architect H.W. Valk. The tower was finished 1951-1953 by G.H.F. Valk, Valk's son. The church was named after one of 19 monks who were tortured and murdered because of their faith by protestant pirates ("Watergeuzen") in Den Briel in 1572. This Johannes apparently came from Oisterwijk.

 

 

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