St Nicholas Church, Deventer

Last updated
Bergkerk as seen from Bergstraat Bergkerk Deventer vanuit Bergstraat.jpg
Bergkerk as seen from Bergstraat

The Mountain Church or Saint Nicholas Church (Dutch : Sint-Nicolaas- of Bergkerk) is a former place of worship in Deventer, Overijssel. This Romanesque basilica was built around 1209 [1] and consecrated to Saint Nicholas. Centuries later it received some Late Gothic alterations. In 1580 the Dutch Reformed Church took the temple and renamed it the Mountain Church.

Contents

In 1967 the church was disestablished and its property transferred to the Municipality of Deventer. The building is used as an exhibition center and concert hall. [2] From 1991 until 2005, the church was used for temporary exhibitions by Museum de Fundatie. [3]

Building and renovations

Organ in 2002 Interieur, aanzicht orgel, orgelnummer 333 - Deventer - 20429241 - RCE.jpg
Organ in 2002
Interior during an exhibition of Museum de Fundatie in 2002 Interieur, overzicht van het noordoosten naar het zuidwesten - Deventer - 20336737 - RCE.jpg
Interior during an exhibition of Museum de Fundatie in 2002

The Mountain Church was built between 1198 and 1209, near where the Deventer harbour section was at the time. It was founded in the golden age of the Hanseatic city. Its completion was dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron Saint of sailors, as the city Deventer took great advantage of their strategic position on the River IJssel. The church has a lot of features in common with churches from around the Baltic Sea.

In the fifteenth century the Mountain Church underwent several renovations, which gave it a more late Gothic appearance. The two characteristic tower spires are built in that period. The lower part is still original.

In 1580 went over to the protestant church and all catholic features were removed from the interior, which was very common to do. The wall paintings were covered with white chalk.

Legend

There is a legend that describes how the building of the church came to be. Two sisters from Deventer, Martha and Beatrix, were heavily impressed by a knight who had come to Deventer. Both of them fancied the knight. Beatrix eventually married the knight, leaving Martha behind in solitude. Martha ordered the church to be built in peace with her loneliness, and let one of the two towers become slightly taller than the other one, since both sisters were of different height too. This should explain the difference in height between the two towers. The tower on the west (on the right hand stand when you face it) is the biggest one.

"In remembrance of the love of my sister and me, I want a church to be built from my money on the mountain. Two towers will be built upon it, one a little taller than the other, two children of one father alike and inseparable. So that will eternally remain the memory of our love and after our demise at any rate there be two towers that will not abandon one and another." [4]

Another legend of the west tower is that it was taken under siege in the seventeenth century, by pirates on the river IJssel. A big stone ball, which appears to be a stone cannonball, can still be seen, stuck inside the exterior of the tower.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gothic architecture</span> Architectural style of Medieval Europe

Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture. It originated in the Île-de-France and Picardy regions of northern France. The style at the time was sometimes known as opus Francigenum ; the term Gothic was first applied contemptuously during the later Renaissance, by those ambitious to revive the architecture of classical antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overijssel</span> Province of the Netherlands

Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name comes from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of Utrecht, which held the territory until 1528. The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede. The province had a population of about 1,184,000 as of January 2023. The land mostly consists of grasslands and some forests ; it also borders a small part of the IJsselmeer to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zutphen</span> City and municipality in Gelderland, Netherlands

Zutphen is a city and municipality located in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands. It lies some 30 km (18.6 mi) northeast of Arnhem, on the eastern bank of the river IJssel at the point where it is joined by the Berkel. First mentioned in the 11th century, the place-name appears to mean "south fen". In 2005, the municipality of Zutphen was merged with the municipality of Warnsveld, retaining its name. In 2021, the municipality had a population of 48,111.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deventer</span> City and municipality in Overijssel, Netherlands

Deventer is a city and municipality in the Salland historical region of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. In 2020 the municipality of Deventer had a population of 100,913. The city is largely situated on the east bank of the river IJssel, but it also has a small part of its territory on the west bank. In 2005 the municipality of Bathmen was merged with Deventer as part of a national effort to reduce bureaucracy in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kampen, Overijssel</span> City and municipality in Overijssel, Netherlands

Kampen is a city and municipality in the province of Overijssel, Netherlands. A member of the former Hanseatic League, it is located at the lower reaches of the river IJssel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IJsselstein</span> City and Municipality in Utrecht, Netherlands

IJsselstein is a municipality and city in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. IJsselstein received city rights in 1331. IJsselstein owes its name to the river Hollandse IJssel which flows through the city. It is a major commuting suburb for the Utrecht area, along with the neighbouringing towns Houten and Nieuwegein. It's surrounded by the municipalities of Utrecht, Montfoort, Lopik, Vijfheerenlanden and Nieuwegein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht</span> Church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours

St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, or Dom Church, is a Gothic church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, which was the cathedral of the Diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. It is the country's only pre-Reformation cathedral, but has been a Protestant church since 1580.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Rumbold's Cathedral</span> Cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium

St. Rumbold's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic metropolitan archiepiscopal cathedral in Mechelen, Belgium, dedicated to Saint Rumbold, Christian missionary and martyr who founded an abbey nearby. His remains are rumoured to be buried inside the cathedral. State-of-the-art examination of the relics honoured as Saint Rumbold's and kept in a shrine in the retro-choir, showed a life span of about 40 years and a death date between 580 and 655, while tradition had claimed 775 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olst</span> Town in Overijssel, Netherlands

Olst is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel, about 8 km (5 mi) north of Deventer. It is located in the municipality of Olst-Wijhe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. James' Church, Antwerp</span> Church in Antwerp, Belgium

St. James' Church is a former collegiate church in Antwerp, Belgium. The church is built on the site of a hostel for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. The present building is the work of the Waghemakere family and Rombout Keldermans, in Brabantine Gothic style. The church contains the grave of Peter Paul Rubens in the eastern chapel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Church, Hamburg</span> Church in Hamburg

The Church of St. Nicholas was a Gothic Revival cathedral that was formerly one of the five Lutheran Hauptkirchen in the city of Hamburg, Germany. The original chapel, a wooden building, was completed in 1195. It was replaced by a brick church in the 14th century, which was eventually destroyed by fire in 1842. The church was completely rebuilt by 1874, and was the tallest building in the world from 1874 to 1876. It was designed by the English architect George Gilbert Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, Plzeň</span> Church in Plzeň, Czech Republic

The Cathedral of St. Bartholomew, originally the Church of St. Bartholomew, is a Gothic church located on the Main Square in Plzeň, Czech Republic. It was probably established together with the city around the year 1295. The church became a cathedral in 1993, when the Plzeň diocese was created. It was designated a national cultural monument of the Czech Republic in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Saint Nicholas, Amsterdam</span> Church in Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Basilica of Saint Nicholas is located in the Old Centre district of Amsterdam, Netherlands, very close to Amsterdam's main railway station. St, Nicholas is the patron saint of both the church and the city of Amsterdam. The basilica is the city's primary Roman Catholic church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Peter's Church, Leuven</span> Church in Leuven, Belgium

Saint Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Leuven, Belgium, built in the 15th century in the Brabantine Gothic style. The church has a cruciform floor plan and a low bell tower that has never been completed. It is 93 metres (305 ft) long. It is located on the city's Grote Markt, opposite the Town Hall. In 1999, the belfry and bell tower of the church was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, in recognition of the civil importance and architecture of the belfries in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wooden churches of the Slovak Carpathians</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in Slovakia

Carpathian Wooden Churches is the name of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that consists of nine wooden religious buildings constructed between the 16th and 18th centuries in eight different locations in Slovakia. They include two Roman Catholic, three Protestant and three Greek Catholic churches plus one belfry in Hronsek. In addition to these churches there are about 50 more wooden churches in the territory of present-day Slovakia mainly in the northern and eastern part of the Prešov Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Silas' Church, Blackburn</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Silas' Church is in Preston New Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Blackburn with Darwen, the archdeaconry of Blackburn, and the diocese of Blackburn. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Church (Malá Strana)</span> Church in Prague, Czech Republic

The Church of Saint Nicholas is a Baroque church in the Lesser Town of Prague. It was built between 1704 and 1755 on the site where formerly a Gothic church from the 13th century stood, which was also dedicated to Saint Nicholas. It has been described as the greatest example of Prague Baroque.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lebuïnuskerk, Deventer</span>

The Great Church or St. Lebuinus Church is the main church building of the Dutch city of Deventer, Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Francis Xavier Church, Enkhuizen</span> Roman Catholic church in Enkhuizen, Netherlands

St Francis Xavier Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Enkhuizen, West Friesland, Netherlands. It was founded and is run by the Society of Jesus and is in the Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam. It is situated on Westerstraat 107 and was built in 1905 on the site of a clandestine church. The baptismal font is a registered national monument.

The architecture of Slovakia has a long, rich and diverse history. Besides Roman ruins, Slovakia hosts several Romanesque and Gothic castles and churches, most notably Spiš Castle, which were built at the time of the Kingdom of Hungary. Renaissance architecture was of particular relevance in town hall squares, such as in Bardejov and Levoča. Affluent architecture in the following centuries made use of Baroque, Rococo and historicist styles, while vernacular architecture in the countryside developed a specific style of wooden houses and wooden churches. In the 20th century, Slovakia knew Art Nouveau and modernist architecture, including socialist modernism, and finally contemporary architecture.

References

  1. St-Nicolaas of Bergkerk
  2. Concerts at the Mountain Church
  3. (in Dutch) "Kostendekkende exploitatie Bergkerk kan", De Stentor , 2005. Retrieved on 7 July 2014.
  4. Free translation of: J. Cohen, Nederlandsche Sagen En Legenden, Teddington: The Echo Library (2007). ISBN   9781406842784 (in Dutch)

52°15′07″N6°09′47″E / 52.25194°N 6.16306°E / 52.25194; 6.16306