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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