Noordwijkerhout
(ZH): reformed church
In ca. 1300 a church was
built in Noordwijkerhout. Until then there
had only been a chapel elsewhere in the village. The church was in
Romanesque style, a towerless building with a small square choir with a
round apse. Only later a tower was added.
In 1508 the church was radically rebuilt. A rectangular choir in Gothic
style was added, the tower was heightened, the roof on the tower was
replaced
by a spire, the walls of the nave as well as the roof were heightened
and the
small windows were enlarged, also in Gothic style.
In ca. 1573, during the 80-Years War, the church was
destroyed by fire. The protestants, who were now in charge, held their
servics
in the local school while the catholics were prohibited to practise
their
religion at all. In 1620 the church was finally rebuilt, except for the
choir,
which remained a ruin until 1798, when it was demolished. The church
from that
moment on was used by the protestants. In the early-19th century the
catholics
tried to get it back, but in 1813 their request for restitution was
finally
denied.
The church is locally known as the white church, for obvious reasons.
The coat of white paint probably dates from the protestant period.
During a restoration in 1974-1975 it was not removed. In 1986-1987 the
church was extended with a reconstruction of the Gothic choir.
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