Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren
Encyclopedia
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwetoren ('The Tower of Our Lady') is a church tower in Amersfoort
. The Late Gothic
building is 98,33 meter tall and reaches high above the inner city. It's one of the most eye-catching monuments in town and the third highest church tower in the Netherlands. The nickname of the tower is Lange Jan ('Long John'). The church that belonged to the tower was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion in the 18th century.
. The church and tower were taken over by the Protestants and no longer belonged to the Catholics.
The church also has been used for other purposes than worshiping. It was used as a storage place for ammunition and as laboratory for the manufacturing of shells
.
In 1986 some research was done into its history and in the current square one can see the original plan of the church. The spire of the church burned down in 1651 and also in 1804. The tower was restored in 1912–1932, in 1965–1970 and in 1993–1996.
on the tower. The new consoles are designed and made by Ton Mooy during the restoration of 1993-1996. They replaced the weathered consoles from around 1930. The new consoles are made from Volvic basaltlava
instead of the previous used Tuff stone
, for reasons of durability and weather resistance. The basalt lava also mimics the surrounding Bentheim
er sandstone
in colouring, which could not be used anymore due to health regulations, and is suited for finer carving than tuff stone.
Extra information about the persons depicted on the consoles:
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
. The Late Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
building is 98,33 meter tall and reaches high above the inner city. It's one of the most eye-catching monuments in town and the third highest church tower in the Netherlands. The nickname of the tower is Lange Jan ('Long John'). The church that belonged to the tower was destroyed by a gunpowder explosion in the 18th century.
History
The first chapel on site was constructed on this site in the 14th century. In the 15th century the chapel was replaced by new church with three aisles. When the tower was built is not exactly known. Construction started around 1444 and was finished around 1470. The official documents of the construction were destroyed by the Protestants in 1579 during the reformation and the ensuing iconoclasmIconoclasm
Iconoclasm is the deliberate destruction of religious icons and other symbols or monuments, usually with religious or political motives. It is a frequent component of major political or religious changes...
. The church and tower were taken over by the Protestants and no longer belonged to the Catholics.
The church also has been used for other purposes than worshiping. It was used as a storage place for ammunition and as laboratory for the manufacturing of shells
Shell (projectile)
A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...
.
In 1986 some research was done into its history and in the current square one can see the original plan of the church. The spire of the church burned down in 1651 and also in 1804. The tower was restored in 1912–1932, in 1965–1970 and in 1993–1996.
Dutch grid reference system
The middle point of the Dutch grid reference system is situated in the tower. From origin the tower spin was the middle of the grid with x = 0 and y = 0. This gridsystem was setup in the period 1885-1904. The coördinates where also called Amersfoort coördinates. The Zero-point is moved in the period 1960-1978, it moved 155 km Westwards and 463 km Southwards (120 km Southeast of Paris, 1 km East of La Celle-Saint-Cyr). The coördinates of the middle point since then are X = 155 000, Y = 463 000. Advantage of this new Zero-point is that there are no negative coördinates anymore and the X values differ from the Y values so mistakes shall not occure anymore.Consoles on the tower
There are twelve consolesCorbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
on the tower. The new consoles are designed and made by Ton Mooy during the restoration of 1993-1996. They replaced the weathered consoles from around 1930. The new consoles are made from Volvic basaltlava
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
instead of the previous used Tuff stone
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
, for reasons of durability and weather resistance. The basalt lava also mimics the surrounding Bentheim
Bentheim
County of Bentheim is a district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by the Dutch provinces of Overijssel and Drenthe, the district of Emsland, and the districts of Steinfurt and Borken in North Rhine-Westphalia.- History :The District has roughly the same territory as the County of...
er sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
in colouring, which could not be used anymore due to health regulations, and is suited for finer carving than tuff stone.
Extra information about the persons depicted on the consoles:
- Hendrik van ViandenHenry I van ViandenHenry van Vianden was a bishop of Utrecht from 1249 to 1267.He was the son of Henry I, Count of Vianden and Margaret, Marchioness of Namur. He was provost at Cologne before he was pushed forward as candidate for the bishopric of Utrecht by the Welfs in their struggle with the Hohenstaufen...
was the Bishop of Utrecht who granted Amersfoort city rights in 1259 - Margriete Gijsen found the miraculous Maria statue in the water of the canal near the Kamperpoort in 1444
- David of BurgundyDavid of BurgundyDavid of Burgundy was a bishop of Utrecht. The illegitimate son of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, he was made bishop of Utrecht by his father from 1456 to 1496 in an attempt to enforce more centralised Burgundian control over the Netherlands. He also served as bishop of Thérouanne from 1451 to...
was the Bishop of Utrecht when the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren was built - Leendert Nicasius was the city carpenter, who saved the Onze Lieve Vrouwetoren from destruction in 1651 after it was struck by lightning