Bovenkerk

Kampen, Netherlands

The Bovenkerk (also known as the Church of St. Nicholas) is a large Gothic church and the most striking element on the skyline of Kampen. The interior of the church contains an early-Renaissance choir screen, a stone pulpit and a monumental organ. The church has 1,250 seats. It is a Reformed church.

The construction of the church took place in several phases. The 12th century Romanesque church was modified as Early Gothic church in the late 1200s. The basilica choir was added in the last quarter of 14th century and the construction completed in the second half 15th century.

A common practice for old historic churches was to bury the dead under the Church. The Bovenkerk is no exception to this practice, where famous Dutch persons originating from Kampen are buried. One of them is Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634), one of the first landscape painters of the 17th-century Dutch school, specialized in painting the Netherlands in winter. The transept contains a small ornament of red marble with a green marble urn in memory of Vice Admiral Jan Willem de Winter (1761-1812). The heart of Vice Admiral De Winter is enclosed in this urn, while his body is buried in the Panthéon in Paris.

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Address

Koornmarkt 13, Kampen, Netherlands
See all sites in Kampen

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Religious sites in Netherlands

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Oluwabukunmi Popoola (2 years ago)
What a memorable place to spend Reformation Sunday.
sommmen (2 years ago)
Quite beatiful church that they renovated a while a go, so it can last many years more.
Jack Kawira (2 years ago)
A very beautiful Church
Gert Kragt (2 years ago)
Prachtige mooie monumentale kerk
Bart van Herk (2 years ago)
Eerbiedwaardige grote oude kerk, sinds kort niet meer als zodanig in gebruik, het werd voor de religieuze gemeente te duur.. Nauwelijks warm te stoken; en akoestisch gezien een zeer lange nagalmtijd, wat het voor muziekuitvoeringen een eigen karakter geeft. Minder geschikt voor levendige muziek met zeer snelle passages. Niet te snelle koormuziek of vocaal kan daarentegen zeer fraai klinken. Een belangrijk stuk historie, lokaal en nationaal.
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Château de Falaise

Château de Falaise is best known as a castle, where William the Conqueror, the son of Duke Robert of Normandy, was born in about 1028. William went on to conquer England and become king and possession of the castle descended through his heirs until the 13th century when it was captured by King Philip II of France. Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840 it has been protected as a monument historique.

The castle (12th–13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the Dukes of Normandy. The construction was started on the site of an earlier castle in 1123 by Henry I of England, with the 'large keep' (grand donjon). Later was added the 'small keep' (petit donjon). The tower built in the first quarter of the 12th century contained a hall, chapel, and a room for the lord, but no small rooms for a complicated household arrangement; in this way, it was similar to towers at Corfe, Norwich, and Portchester, all in England. In 1202 Arthur I, Duke of Brittany was King John of England's nephew, was imprisoned in Falaise castle's keep. According to contemporaneous chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, John ordered two of his servants to mutilate the duke. Hugh de Burgh was in charge of guarding Arthur and refused to let him be mutilated, but to demoralise Arthur's supporters was to announce his death. The circumstances of Arthur's death are unclear, though he probably died in 1203.

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A programme of restoration was carried out between 1870 and 1874. The castle suffered due to bombardment during the Second World War in the battle for the Falaise pocket in 1944, but the three keeps were unscathed.

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