St. Peter's Church, Sittard, Netherlands

At an impressive 80m, Saint Peter's spire is the tallest church tower in the south of Limburg and it's also called the Grote Kerk, or Big Church, by locals. This Gothic cruciform house of worship was built in 1292 and boasts a prominent peak and layered walls made of brick and marlstone. Despite some adversity in its past, including a fire set by French troops in 1677 and a lightning strike in 1857, the church is still the pride and joy of the city. Other striking elements are its 1425 choir stalls decorated with fantastic creatures and more contemporary designs including the space dog Laika and a girl with a hoop. The statue of Saint Peter, situated 8m above the ground and the 50 church bells are also impressive.

References:

In Your Pocket

User Reviews

Robert Poque (8 months ago)
Looks very nice. Is very nice walking and shopping in this area

Jessica Eekels (12 months ago)
Exterior is nice but church was closed. Was open from 09.00-17.00 but not. Unfortunately

Сім'я Гавруків (15 months ago)
A very beautiful and majestic building!

Clara Travel (17 months ago)
Today we visited the small town of Sittard for the first time. We were already looking forward to the wonderful view of this church as we entered the city. Our path went straight to it. Unfortunately we weren't lucky enough to see the inside of the church. But even from the outside we liked it very much and it was definitely worth the trip.

Danandaka Mumpuni (3 years ago)
Nice old church as always.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Drew de F Fawkes

Historic Site of the week

Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg

The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg is situated in a strategic area on a rocky spur overlooking the Upper Rhine Plain, it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War when it was abandoned. From 1900 to 1908 it was rebuilt at the behest of the German kaiser Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist site, attracting more than 500,000 visitors a year.

The first records of a castle built by the Hohenstaufens date back to 1147. The fortress changed its name to Koenigsburg (royal castle) around 1157. The castle was handed over to the Tiersteins by the Habsburgs following its destruction in 1462. They rebuilt and enlarged it, installing a defensive system designed to withstand artillery fire.

The fortification work accomplished over the 15th century did not suffice to keep the Swedish artillery at bay during the Thirty Years War, and the defences were overrun.

St. Peter's Church

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Timeless Treasures of Wales

Gothic Cathedrals of Belgium

Migthy Cathar Castles

Historic Site of the week

Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg