Nieuwe Kerk, Katwijk aan Zee
Encyclopedia
Katwijk
Katwijk is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. It has a population of 61,292.-Location:...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, is the oldest and best known work of the architect H.J. Jesse (1860 - 1943). It was built to replace the nearby Andreaskerk, which had become too small.
Construction of the church
Plans for building a new church were first considered in 1850. The search for a suitable location for the church began in 1883. The church authorities held a design contest, and about 53 designs were sent in. They chose the design of H.J. Jesse. Construction started in 1885, with the first stone being laid by the BaronessBaron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Van Wassenaer van Catwijck. The construction took two years, and the new church was opened in 1887. It is now a state monument.
Jesse designed a broad cross-shaped church with 1500 seats. The capacity was later extended to 1900 seats. The building consists of two wide, short aisles and a long transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
. The church tower is approximately 51 meters high.