Visit historic churches

Dome Church Willemstad

The fortified center of Willemstad is where you can find the Dome Church. This church from 1607 was built with financial support from Prince Maurits. It is the first church in the Netherlands specifically built for Protestant worship. Entirely according to Prince Maurits’ wishes, the church was built in an octagonal shape (central design). The church was built without a garland of chapels and side aisles. Not the altar but the pulpit was to be the centerpiece. The church was a model for many later Protestant churches. Over the years, the dome church has been rebuilt and restored. Visitors can learn about the church’s history through panels and texts and climb the tower during opening hours. The hosts are happy to tell you about the church. In the tower, friends of the dome church regularly arrange exhibitions you visit during your stay at the dome church.

Roman Catholic Church H. Bartholomew Zevenbergen

The Roman Catholic Church H. Bartholomew was built in 1929-1930 by architect J. Stuyt. The original tower was lost during the Second World War. The current tower was designed in 1954 by W.J. Bunnik and the windows by J. ten Horn. The present church had a predecessor that was inaugurated in 1836. The Roman Catholic Church with Romanesque elements is a three-aisled cruciform church with a narrow, lower, straight-closed choir. The side aisles consist of two transversely situated chapels, with a small semicircular chapel attached. On both sides, a transept was built with adjacent shallow chapels. Behind the choir and transept is an extensive service space with a basement. On the right facade is a square-structured tower with an onion-shaped spire from 1954, and on the left is a polygonal chapel. The building is constructed of brick, with white decorative work under the eaves and in the portal frames. It has gable roofs covered with slates and some small dormers. The facades have arched windows and round-arch entrances with whitewash and relief. The church can be visited by making an appointment.

St. Catharinakerk Zevenbergen

The St. Catharina church is a Gothic church located at Markt in Zevenbergen. Before the reformation, she was dedicated to St. Catharina. The oldest parts stem from the 14th century. The church consists of a three-aisled nave, a transept, a straight closed choir, and the Joris chapel on the west side of the north transept. The nave dates from about 1400, when the choir was also raised. The church owes its present form to a major reconstruction in the years 1541-1546. The great bell dates from 1410. It has a beautiful, serene sound and is of special historical value. The bell has an edge inscription indicating its Catholic origins: "Mary is my name, my sound will be appropriate for God" (translation). The St. Catharina church is the only monumental building that has been preserved after the destruction in Zevenbergen by acts of war in 1940 and 1944. However, the heavy war damage to the church needed repairing, which was effected between 1949 and 1953. The tower was blown up just before the liberation but was completely rebuilt to its former appearance in 1961. The church is still used for Protestant services and can be viewed before or after a service or by making an appointment.

Holy Virgin Mary Church Willemstad

The Roman Catholic Holy Virgin Mary Church in Willemstad is a neo-Gothic church built in 1875 based on the design of architect P.J. Soffers. Before that time, around 1566, there was an active parish in the then-called village of Ruigenhil. However, during the Eighty Years' War, the pastor was banished by the protestant Sea Beggars. Only a few Catholic families stayed. They went to church outside Willemstad. In 1834, a church barn was erected on Landpoortstraat. Only when this fell into disrepair they began working on the present church building. During World War II, the church and tower were damaged, but the Blessed Virgin Mary Church was restored and usable once again in 1950. Today, the church is no longer used for church services as it is in private hands. It is not possible to tour the interior of this church at the moment.

Johannes de Doperkerk (John the Baptist)Klundert

The Johannes de Doperkerk (John the Baptist) is a late neo-Gothic brick cruciform church with a tower dating from 1924. It lost its spire in November 1944 due to war damage. It has been truncated ever since. The church has an asymmetrical facade and a wide nave. The interior is done in masonry and is dominated by beautiful vaults. The village church dating from 1548 stood on this spot. After the reformation, the Catholics moved into a barn church in 1763. In 1863, this church was demolished and replaced by a new church, which in turn was demolished and replaced by the present church.

Former R.C. Saint Joseph Church Noordhoek

The former St. Joseph Church in Noordhoek dates from 1921 and was the first parish church in the Netherlands designed by the French Benedictine monk Dom Paul Bellot. Nowadays, the church forms the backdrop for an annual international ballroom dancing competition, also known as the 'Nook Championship'.