Location Delft, Netherlands Groundbreaking 1396 Height 109 m Architectural style Gothic architecture | Architectural type Church tower Completed 1496 Opened 1496 | |
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Designated as NHL Dutch rijksmonument #11872 Address Markt 80, 2611 GW Delft, Netherlands Burials William the Silent, Juliana of the Netherlands Similar Oude Kerk - Delft, Museum Het Prinsenhof, City Hall, Vermeer Centre, Eastern Gate Profiles | ||
The Nieuwe Kerk ( [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.
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History
The New Church, formerly the church of St. Ursula (14th century), is the burial place of the princes of Orange. 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. The tower was built 1396-1496 by Jacob van der Borch, who also built the Dom in Utrecht during the years 1444-1475. The monument for Hugo de Groot was made in 1781. The mechanical clock has 18 bells by Francois Hemony from 1659 and 30 modern bells. In the church tower there is a bell from 1662 by Francois Hemony with a diameter of 104 centimeters. 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.
The Kirk appears in the golden Age painting by Carel Fabritius, A View of Delft.
People buried in the royal crypt
Eleven people are buried in the old vault:
35 people are buried in the new vault: