Oosterkerk (Hoorn) Explained

Building Name:Oosterkerk
Location:Grote Oost 60, 1621 BX te Hoorn, Netherlands
Region:North Holland
State:Netherlands
Consecration Year:1616
Status:Cultural center
Leadership:Dick van der Pijl
Architecture:yes
Architecture Type:Church
Architecture Style:Gothic
Specifications:yes
Designation2:Rijksmonument
Designation2 Offname:Oosterkerk
Designation2 Date:1965
Designation2 Number:22399[1]

Oosterkerk or St. Anthony Church is a former Dutch Reformed Church in Hoorn, North Holland in the Netherlands. The church is a Rijksmonument and was designed in the Gothic style. The church's origins date back to 1450. The building that exists today was complete in 1616. Today, the church is a cultural center.

History

Oosterkerk was built in 1616. The church was originally Roman Catholic and was used primarily by fishermen and skippers. After the Reformation it became a Dutch Reformed Church. The church has stained glass windows, which underwent restorations in 1982.

The church's organ was built in 1764 by Johann Heinrich Hartmann Bätz. It is the only organ he built in North Holland. The organ is located on the west wall of the church and replaced an older organ from the 15th- and 16th-centuries. Bätz's organ stopped working in 1869. A new organ was built in 1871. It worked until 1960. Around that time, the church was decommissioned by the Dutch Reformed Church.

After decommissioning, the Oosterkerk Foundation took over management of the building. The organ was restored in 1982 by Vermeulen Alkmaar.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rijksmonument.