Nieuwe Kerk (Delft)

Nieuwe Kerk

Nieuwe Kerk, Delft
Basic information
Location Delft, Netherlands
Geographic coordinates 52°00′44″N 4°21′39″E / 52.0123°N 4.3609°E / 52.0123; 4.3609Coordinates: 52°00′44″N 4°21′39″E / 52.0123°N 4.3609°E / 52.0123; 4.3609
Architectural description
Architectural type Church tower
Architectural style Gothic
Groundbreaking 1396
Completed 1496
Height (max) 108.75 m (356.79 ft)
Designated as NHL Dutch rijksmonument #11872

The Nieuwe Kerk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈniʋə ˈkɛrk]; English: New Church) is a Protestant church in the city of Delft in the Netherlands. The building is located on Delft Market Square (Markt), opposite to the City Hall (Dutch: Stadhuis). In 1584, William the Silent was entombed here in a mausoleum designed by Hendrick and Pieter de Keyser. Since then members of the House of Orange-Nassau have been entombed in the royal crypt. The latest are Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard in 2004. The private royal family crypt is not open to the public. The church tower is the second highest in the Netherlands, after the Domtoren in Utrecht.

History

Family in the Nieuwe Kerk with the monument of Willem the Silent, by Dirk van Delen, 1645

The New Church, formerly the church of St. Ursula (14th century), is the burial place of the princes of Orange.[1] It is remarkable for its fine tower and chime of bells, and contains the splendid allegorical monument of William the Silent, executed by Hendrik de Keyser and his son Pieter about 1621, and the tomb of Hugo Grotius, born in Delft in 1583, whose statue, erected in 1886, stands in the market-place outside the church.[1] The tower was built 1396-1496 by Jacob van der Borch, who also built the Dom in Utrecht during the years 1444-1475.[2] The monument for Hugo de Groot was made in 1781.[2] The mechanical clock has 18 bells by Francois Hemony from 1659 and 30 modern bells.[2] In the church tower there is a bell from 1662 by Francois Hemony with a diameter of 104 centimeters.[2] In the tower there are also bells no longer in use, including 13 from 1659 by Francois Hemony, 3 from 1678 by Pieter Hemony, 3 from 1750 from Joris de Mery, and 1 from Gillett and Johnston from 1929.[2]

People buried in the royal crypt

Plan of the royal crypt
The Nieuwe Kerk seen from the Oude Kerk
The Nieuwe Kerk from above

Eleven people are buried in the old vault:[3][4]

35 people are buried in the new vault:[3][4]

Dutch Rijksmonument 11872

References

  1. 1 2 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica entry for Delft
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Rijksmonument report
  3. 1 2 http://www.nieuwekerk-delft.nl/ned/kerkgebouw/huis_van_oranje/koninklijke_grafkelders.html
  4. 1 2 The years between parentheses are the years in which the persons are interred in the vault.
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