The Jacobikerk is a landmark

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

church in

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The building is located on the St Jacobsstraat, named for its patron saint St. James the Greater. The church is one of the medieval parish churches of Utrecht, along with the

Buurkerk The Buurkerk is a former church building in Utrecht (city), Netherlands on the Buurkerkhof. The building is the location of the Museum Speelklok, and the entrance is on the Steenweg. It is one of the medieval parish churches of Utrecht, along with ...

, the Nicolaïkerk and the Geertekerk. Today it is known as the starting place for Dutch pilgrims on their way to

Santiago de Compostella Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St. ...

along the

Way of St. James The Camino de Santiago ( la, Peregrinatio Compostellana, "Pilgrimage of Compostela"; gl, O Camiño de Santiago), known in English as the Way of St James, is a network of pilgrims' ways or pilgrimages leading to the shrine of the Twelve Apostle ...

. The Dutch Confraternity of St. James is located around the corner on the St. Jacobskerkhof.

History

The current gothic church dates from the end of the 13th century, but was expanded in the 14th and 15th centuries.Church website In 1576-1577 a cannon was installed in the church tower, aimed at

Vredenburg (castle) Vredenburg Castle (Dutch: ''(Kasteel) Vredenburg'' or ''Vredeborch'') was a 16th-century castle built by Habsburg emperor Charles V in the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands. Some remains of the castle, which stood for only 50 years, are still vi ...

where the Spanish soldiers there were under siege by the Utrecht schutters. Around 1580 the church endured the

protestant reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

and in 1586 it was formally handed over to the protestants, who whitewashed the wall decorations and removed the altarpieces. The tower bell was made by S. Butendiic in 1479, with a diameter of 182 cm.

Rijksmonument A rijksmonument (, ) is a national heritage site of the Netherlands, listed by the agency Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE) acting for the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. At the end of February 2015, the Netherlands ...

report

Church function

The church still accommodates weekly Sunday services, but is regularly rented out for other functions, including weddings and concerts, but also for various cultural initiatives of the city or the local university.

References

External links

Website Protestantse Wijkgemeente Jacobikerk
(Dutch only)
Website Genootschap St. Jacob
(Dutch only) {{coord, 52, 05, 42, N, 5, 06, 55, E, region:NL_source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title Churches in Utrecht (city) Rijksmonuments in Utrecht (city) Protestant churches in the Netherlands Protestant churches converted from Roman Catholicism 13th-century churches in the Netherlands