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Scherpenisse (Z): reformed church

An unfinished and mutilated masterpiece. Originally this was a big cruciform in Brabant Gothic style, although the tower was probably intended to be much taller than it is now. It's now crowned with a wooden segment which appears to be from a recent date and is covered with slates. Inside it is a bell from 1484. The tower is supported by enormous buttresses. As most of the church is covered with white natural stone, the brick of the buttresses and part of the tower appear to be later additions.
The nave and the tower are probably the oldest parts of the church. A choir had been built ca. 1462. The nave was altered ca. 1520, when the side-aisles were added. On the crossing a steeple is built.
In 1577 the church is confiscated by the protestants, who drastically alter the interior in the following centuries. The church now has a flat wooden ceiling. In the inventory are a few copper crowns, one of which was a gift from Johannes van Roosevelt, ancestor of two presidents of the USA. Early 17th century the church falls into decay. The choir and transept are abandoned and demolished in the 18th century. Of the transept only two pieces of wall remain. The building behind it was added during a restoration between 1971 and 1974. During this restoration the entrance in the tower was opened as well, while the rooftiles on the side-aisles were replaced by slates. The window in the east wall was closed, while the one in the tower was opened. A plan to heighten the tower with six metres was thankfully not executed.
 

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