Grote Kerk Muiden

Historie

HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.

About 1150 there must have been a Roman church on the site of the present building; it consisted of a tower, a nave (without aisles) and a choir. The tower, which is well over 28 metres in height and is completely built up of tufa, has survived the ages and is now some 850 years old. Originally the nave and the choir were lower and smaller and about 1425 they were replaced by the present Gothic construction that was added to the existing tower. It is supposed that the old tower was pulled down first at the time and that the tufa that had become available was later used for the exterior surface of the walls in the new choir. For the interior surface of the walls brick was used. After the completion of the new choir the old nave was pulled down and on the spot where the old walls had stood two colonnades were built; once again, the tufa that had come free was used for the covering of the outer walls of the new nave. For the inner sides of the walls brick was used once more. This strange combination of materials (tufa was still used in the 12^th century and brick has been used ever since the 15^th century) and other architectural characteristics constitute the basis for the theory mentioned above.

In the course of the centuries maintenance has not always been ideal. Particularly the roof and the gutters have constantly caused great concern. About 1815 the church had fallen into disrepair to such an extent that the possibility of pulling down the building completely was seriously considered. In 1822 a tarpaulin was borrowed from The High Dike Board of the Zeedijk, east of Muiden, to cover a large hole in the roof. In 1834 part of the interior was destroyed by a fire beneath the organ, and in 1920 the pulpit could not be used because rain fell freely down on it.

Thanks to major reparations and restorations (three of which were carried out during the 20^th century) and thanks to subsidies and contributions from ordinary people the church was preserved for posterity. The three restorations that took place were the following: a) from 1921-1928 the restoration of the steeple, the consistory and the interior took place, b) from 1971-1975 the exterior and the organ were renewed and finally c) from 1994-1999 the covering of the roof and the interior were repaired.

THE TOWER.

The Roman arch at the west base of the tower used to be the original entrance of the church, but soon after the tower had been built this entrance was completely walled up because the bogginess of the soil,

caused by rising sub soil water, began to cause trouble. The existence of this entrance was only discovered during the restoration in 1925. The arch was made visible again but the present entrance that had been built during the 15^th century remained in use. In the tower are two bells, which are called “Sancte Niclaes” and “Sancte Katrina” and date back to 1525; they were founded by Hendrick de Borch. The wrought iron clockwork, except the swing, date back to 1653.

 

THE INTERIOR.

Much antique oak furniture can be found in the church; lions’ heads and the old city arms of Muiden have been carved out in the pulpit and its lectern. The baptismal screen has been embellished with leaf-work, small ships, birds and bunches of grapes. On one of the pews you will find the date 1647. Just like all old medieval churches the “Grote or St.Nicolaaskerk” faces east, which is not only a matter of direction but also a matter of religion: The Light of the World arose in the east. During the recent rearrangement the pews and the chairs were consequently placed in such a way that the congregation has a view of The Light, both in the literal and figurative sense. In the choir windows are two small panes with two city arms. In the pane on the left the present city arms of Muiden can be seen, in blue and white (or: azure and silver in heraldic terms); they are held by a merman and a mermaid. In the pane on the right are the old city arms: a fishing boat between two towers. The panes are dated 1646. Above the main entrance there is a decorative board commemorating the seven-month plague of 1602, during which 650 inhabitants of Muiden died, about two thirds of the whole population.

Beneath the organ are two P.C.Hooft-boards, both of which are dated 1647 and decorated with skilful carving: the one on the left shows Hooft himself with his coat of arms on top and the one on the right represents Hooft’s second wife Heleonora Hellemans.  ? ? ?

Elsewhere in the church you will also come across a board with the Ten Commandments, two boards with the list of clergymen and the so-called psalm boards from the 17^th or 18^th century, with a very fine image of the city arms of Muiden. In 1923 a number of wall paintings were laid bare from under a layer of plaster that covered the walls at the time. However, because they were treated in the wrong way and owing to the effects of dampness they have greatly declined in beauty.

In the floor you see a large number of tombstones, dating from 1500 until 1834, a period in which the dead were buried in or near the church. It is impossible to mention all the details in brief. As a consequence an attentive walk in the church may offer many surprises: from an image of The Lamb of God in the porch of the tower to carved heads in the vault of the choir.

THE ORGAN.

Little is known about the oldest history of the organ. The year 1661 is mentioned as the date when it was built: receipts from 1675 and 1684 hint at Jan Sleger as its builder. On the 13^th of April 1834 fire and extinguishing water caused great damage to the organ. Organ builder J.H.Knipscheer did the repair work. After that date many, sometimes most unskilful, changes were made. During the last extensive restoration in 1975 the organ was brought back to its state in 1835 by organbuilder Blank. From within the church fine woodcarving can be observed: a.o. the old and present city arms of Muiden with a shell on top as the crowning of the middle tower. Unfortunately the magnificent sound can only be heard when “the organ is playing”

HISTORIE VAN DE KERK

Omstreeks 1150 moet op de plaats van het huidige gebouw een Romaanse
   kerk zijn gebouwd, bestaande uit een toren, een schip ( zonder zijbeuken)
   en een koor. De toren, ruim 28 meter hoog, en geheel uit tufsteen op-
   getrokken, heeft de eeuwen overleefd.
   Het schip en het koor, die oorspronkelijk kleiner en lager waren, zijn rond
   1425 vervangen door het huidige Gothische bouwwerk, dat aan de bestaande toren werd vastgebouwd.

   Men vermoedt dat daarbij eerst het koor gesloopt is en dat de daarvan af-
   komstige tufsteen gebruikt is voor de buitenbekleding van het nieuwe koor.
   Voor de binnenzijde van de muren werden bakstenen gebruikt.
   Nadat het nieuwe koor voltooid was, brak men het oude schip af, bouwde
   twee zuilenrijen op de plaats van de oude muren en gebruikte de vrijgeko-
   men tufsteen weer voor het bekleden van de buitenmuren van het nieuwe
   schip. Ook hier is de binnenzijde van de muren van baksteen.

 
   Deze vreemde combinatie van materialen ( tufsteen werd in de twaalfde
   eeuw nog gebruikt, baksteen vanaf de vijftiende eeuw) en nog andere
   bouwkundige aanwijzingen vormen de basis van bovengenoemde theorie.
   In de periode 1994-1999 is de Grote- of St. Nicolaaskerk weer gerestau-
   reerd, waarbij de zitrichting in de kerk is omgedraaid (georiënteerd naar
   het oosten toe), en de enorme balken van het dak zijn vervangen en de
   dakbedekking is hersteld.

   Tijdens deze restauratie kerkten de hervormden samen met de gerefor-
   meerden in de gereformeerde kerk in de Singelstraat. Toen de Grote Kerk
   klaar was, waren de twee groepen zover naar elkaar gegroeid, dat zij het
   vernieuwde kerkgebouw samen betrokken hebben.

   De kerk aan de Singelstraat is in 2005 verkocht.

Hieronder vindt u beknopte informatie over de historie van de Grote– of Sint Nicolaaskerk. Een uitgebreide  complete versie kunt u downloaden door het klikken op deze link: Historie Grote Kerk. Dit is een pdf bestand.