Oudenbosch Basilica

Oudenbosch, Netherlands

The Oudenbosch Basilica is a Roman Catholic basilica built under the initiative of father Willem Hellemons who was parish priest between 1842 and 1884. Its nave and interior were modeled after St. Peter's Basilica in Rome; while the facade is a replica of the Basilica of St. John Lateran also in Rome. The Basilica was designed by architect Dr. P. Cuypers. Construction began in 1865 but was not fully completed until 1892. The basilica is unique in the region in that it is quite large with classical Italian appearance that is atypical for most of northern Europe, let alone a small village in North Brabant.

References:

Comments

Your name


Address

Pastoor Hellemonsstraat 4-6, Oudenbosch, Netherlands
See all sites in Oudenbosch

Details

Founded: 1865-1892
Category: Religious sites in Netherlands

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Antwerp City Hall (41,9 km)
Cathedral of Our Lady (42 km)
Vermeer Center (48,4 km)
Binnenhof (56,5 km)
Delft City Hall (48,4 km)
Mauritshuis (56,5 km)
Nieuwe Kerk (48,4 km)
Rubenshuis (42,2 km)
Gevangenpoort (56,5 km)

User Reviews

Rob Wolters (4 months ago)
Impressive! Well worth a visit, this smaller copy of the St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Also has very good shop.
Gabriel Guita (4 months ago)
A unique place in the Netherlands, very beautiful!
Amir Almasy (10 months ago)
The most beautiful and amazing Basilica I've seen, Similiar to St Peter's Church in Rome Awesome Experience for Religious and non religious alike
Martijn Proper (2 years ago)
Because I'm an agnostic, I don't habitually visit churches. I can enjoy their grandeur, architecture or atmosphere, though. The basilica in Oudenbosch is like a mix-n-match replica of classical Rome churches.It's impressive enough for such a small village, however it is clearly a replica. The marble is painted marble effect and the gold is paint as well. Also, the acoustics are good enough but completely nullified by people using a PA system inside. Please, PLEASE, don' t.
Trisha Treintañera (2 years ago)
A surprise pearl in such a small village. Beautiful paintings and altar. Big size church with monumental spirit. It's not easy to find nice churches in the Nederlands any more, most of the Catholic ones are new with awful designs and the protestants are very simple. This one it's completely different from the rest of the churches in the country. Good hommage to St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Giåm

Historic Site of the week

Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2021 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.