The ornate central tower, Grote Kerk, Haarlem

The Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk is a

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

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 and former Catholic cathedral located on the central market square ( Grote Markt) in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

city of

Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...

. Another Haarlem church called the

Cathedral of Saint Bavo The Cathedral of Saint Bavo is a cathedral in Haarlem, the Netherlands, built by Joseph Cuypers from 1895 to 1930 to replace the former '' waterstaatskerk'' in the Jansstraat called the St. Joseph. That church was itself a replacement for the Si ...

now serves as the main cathedral for the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

History

This church is an important landmark for the city of Haarlem and has dominated the city skyline for centuries. It is built in the

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style of

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, and it became the main church of Haarlem after renovations in the 15th century made it significantly larger than the

Janskerk (Haarlem) The Janskerk or St. John's Church is a former church in the Dutch city of Haarlem. Today it houses the North Holland Archives (''Noord-Hollands archief''). History Gerard van Tetrode donated land in 1310 in the centre of Haarlem to build St. Joh ...

. First mention of a church on this spot was made in 1307, but the wooden structure burned in the 14th century.Rijksmonument report The church was rebuilt and promoted to chapter church in 1479 and only became a cathedral in 1559. The main architects were Godevaert de Bosscher and

Steven van Afflighem Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; h ...

(nave), and

Evert van Antwerpen Evert is a Dutch and Swedish short form of the Germanic masculine name "Everhard" (alternative Eberhard).Evert
at the

(transept). The term "Catholic" was never really associated with this church, since it was only

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

as a

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

in 1559, which was already in the middle of the period known as 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 ...

. The church was confiscated only 19 years later during the ''Haarlemse noon'' in 1578, when it was converted to

Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. It was dedicated to

Saint Bavo Saint Bavo of Ghent (also known as Bavon, Allowin, Bavonius, Baaf; AD 622–659) is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint. He was the son of Pepin of Landen and the brother of saints Begga and Gertrude of Nivelles. Life Bavo was born n ...

at some time before 1500, though there exists a curious painting in the collection of the Catholic Cathedral of St. Bavo illustrating the miracle of St. Bavo saving Haarlem from the Kennemers in a scene from the 13th century. This painting was painted a century after the Catholics were banned from their church, and may have been a commemorative painting referring to the defense of the Church and the Catholic faith as well as the defense of the city. File:Zicht op bavokerk van de westkant.JPG, View of the church from the west File:Zicht op bavokerk van janstraat.JPG, View of the church from the north (Jansstraat) File:Zicht op bavokerk vanuit het noorden.JPG, View of the church over the Spaarne river from the North (taken from the train) File:Zicht op bavokerk van de zuid.JPG, View of the church from the south

Christianity in Haarlem

Haarlem has had a Christian parish church since the 9th century. This first church was a "daughter church" of

Velsen Velsen () is a municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is located on both sides of the North Sea Canal. On the north side of the North Sea Canal there is a major steel plant, Tata Steel IJmuiden, formerly known a ...

, which itself was founded in 695 by St. Willibrord. This early first church was a wooden church on the same site of the current Sint-Bavokerk. Extensions and expansions over the centuries led to its formal consecration in 1559 when the first bishop

Nicolaas van Nieuwland Nicolaas van Nieuwland, or Nicolas Van Nienlant (9 June 1510 – July 15, 1580) was a Dutch Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Haarlem and abbot of Egmond Abbey from 1562 to 1569 and as Auxiliary Bishop of Utrecht (1541–?).

was appointed. Only 19 years later, after the Spanish occupation ended (they won the

Siege of Haarlem The siege of Haarlem was an episode of the Eighty Years' War. From 11 December 1572 to 13 July 1573 an army of Philip II of Spain laid bloody siege to the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands, whose loyalties had begun wavering during the prev ...

) and Haarlem reverted to the Protestant

House of Orange The House of Orange-Nassau (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Huis van Oranje-Nassau'', ) is the current dynasty, reigning house of the Netherlands. A branch of the European House of Nassau, the house has played a central role in the Politics and governm ...

, the church was confiscated during the episode known as the ''Haarlemse noon'' and converted to Protestantism as part of the

.Deugd boven geweld, Een geschiedenis van Haarlem, 1245-1995, edited by Gineke van der Ree-Scholtens, 1995, At this time most of the art and silver artefacts were also seized and what was not sold or destroyed has survived in the Haarlem municipal collection, which is now in the collection of the

Frans Hals Museum The Frans Hals Museum is a museum located in Haarlem, the Netherlands. The museum was established in 1862. In 1950, the museum was split in two locations when the collection of modern art was moved to the '' Museum De Hallen'' (since 2018 called ...

. The Haarlem Catholics took what they could carry with them and went underground, meeting thereafter in various ''

schuilkerk A clandestine church ( nl, schuilkerk), defined by historian Benjamin J. Kaplan as a "semi-clandestine church", is a house of worship used by religious minorities whose communal worship is tolerated by those of the majority faith on condition th ...

en'', the most prominent ones known as the ''St. Franciscus statie'' and the ''St. Josephs statie''. Eventually, the St. Josephstatie built a new church across from the Janskerk called the St. Josephkerk, and this church, after growing and becoming a cathedral again, built a new cathedral on the Leidsevaart in the 19th century. Since the building of this new ''Cathedral of St. Bavo'', there has been much confusion about the name of the Bavochurch, since as a Protestant church it is not even dedicated to Saint Bavo. For this reason it is officially called ''Grote Kerk'', which just means "Big Church".

Fires

On May 22, 1801 there was a fire caused by lightning which struck the tower. Another disaster was prevented in 1839 by Martijn Hendrik Kretschman, the guard of the tower. He stopped Jan Drost who worked for the church. Drost had tried to set fire to the pipe organ and piano by throwing hot coals on top of it. Drost committed suicide and he was buried in the tower. In the church was a high sentry box reserved for fire-watchers. If they saw a fire in the city then they would signal using red flags so that the guards in the main guard house opposite could react. This sentry position was still in use in 1919.Historic buildings
, Haarlem marketing, accessed April 2013 In the renovation of the 1930s an automatic sprinkler system was installed in the tower, that could extinguish a fire 70m high in the tower.

Exterior

Bavokerk van Oude Groenmarkt met toevoeging Salomon de Bray

Though the exterior of the church seems timeless, it changed twice in the past 500 years; once when all statuary was removed from the outer niches during the ''Haarlemse Noon'', and the second time in the late 19th century when a "more Gothic look" was given to the church by adding some fake ramparts to the roof edge. This can be seen easily when comparing pictures made before and afterwards. Around the church various low buildings have been built up against it, most notably the former fish market called

De Vishal De Vishal is a historical building dating from 1769 on the Grote Markt in Haarlem, the Netherlands. It is built up against the St. Bavochurch. As the name Vishal (fish-hall) literally indicates, it was constructed as a hall for selling fish to ...

, which today is used for exhibiting modern art. On the south side a series of low buildings used as shops are built up against various church buildings such as the former "librye" or library, and sacristy. In 1630 the architect

Salomon de Bray Salomon de Bray (1597 – 11 May 1664) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and architect. Biography De Bray was born in Amsterdam, but established himself in Haarlem before 1617, where he is registered as being a member of the schutterij that ye ...

designed and built the

consistory Consistory is the anglicized form of the consistorium, a council of the closest advisors of the Roman emperors. It can also refer to: *A papal consistory, a formal meeting of the Sacred College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church *Consistory ...

which still exists today.

Interior

The interior of the church has also changed little over the years, though the inner chapels suffered greatly during the

Beeldenstorm ''Beeldenstorm'' () in Dutch and ''Bildersturm'' in German (roughly translatable from both languages as 'attack on the images or statues') are terms used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th centu ...

, and many stained-glass windows have been lost to neglect. Fortunately, the interior has been painted many times by local painters, most notably by

Pieter Jansz Saenredam Pieter Jansz. Saenredam (9 June 1597 – buried 31 May 1665) was a painter of the Dutch Golden Age, known for his distinctive paintings of whitewashed church interiors such as ''Interior of St Bavo's Church in Haarlem'' and '' Interior of the S ...

and the Berckheyde brothers. Based on these paintings, work has been done to reconstruct the interior so various items such as ''rouwborden'' or "mourning shields" hang again today in their "proper" place.

Stained glass windows

The stained glass windows of the Bavo have suffered through the years from neglect. It is hard to imagine that Haarlem was an important center for stained glass art in the 16th century, since so little evidence of it still exists in Haarlem. After the Reformation, Haarlem promoted the stories of the ''

Damiaatjes The Damiaatjes (English: Little Damiettas) refer to two bells in the St. Bavochurch of Haarlem that ring every night between nine and nine thirty, to signal the closing of the city's gates and commemorate the conquest of the Egyptian city Damiet ...

'' and the associated '' Wapenvermeerdering'' and produced many windows with this central story, which it presented as a gift to other churches and town halls. Today the original Haarlem gift by

Willem Thibaut Willem Thibaut, Tybaut, or Tibout (1524–1597), was a Dutch Golden Age painter. Biography According to the RKD, Thibaut lived and worked in Haarlem, but made the cartoons for the two stained-glass windows in Sint Janskerk in 1570. Accordin ...

still hangs in the

Janskerk (Gouda) The Sint Janskerk in Gouda, the Netherlands, is a large Gothic church, known especially for its stained glass windows, for which it has been placed on the list of the top 100 Dutch monuments. History The church is dedicated to John the Baptist, ...

as designed. That window gives an impression of the type of window that once hung in the Western wall. When the famous Muller organ was installed, the glass on the west side of the church (now only known to us from the painting by the local painter

Job Berckheyde Job Adriaenszoon Berckheyde (baptized 27 January 1630 – before 23 November 1693) was a Dutch artist of the 17th century, active in Haarlem, Amsterdam, and The Hague. Biography Job Berckheyde was born in Haarlem and was the older brother ...

) with the ''Wapenvermeerdering'', was dismantled and bricked up. The sketches for this glass have survived and are in the possession of the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the St ...

in Amsterdam and were drawn by

Barend van Orley Bernard van Orley (between 1487 and 1491 – 6 January 1541), also called Barend or Barent van Orley, Bernaert van Orley or Barend van Brussel, was a versatile Flemish artist and representative of Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, who w ...

. File:Haarlem Bavokerk grote markt-Beverwijk raam.jpg, This is the only window remaining in the church showing the Damiate legend. It was originally given by Haarlem to

Beverwijk Beverwijk () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town is located about northwest of Amsterdam in the Randstad metropolitan area, north of the North Sea Canal very close to the North Sea coast. A ...

in 1679.De Grote of Sint-Bavokerk, 2003, Friends of the church society, File:Damiaatjes glas-in-lood.JPG, Window now in

Haarlem City Hall The City Hall in Haarlem is the seat of the city's government. It was built in the 14th century replacing the Count's castle. History Around 1100 a wooden building was constructed on the location of the current ''Gravenzaal'' of the City Hall. ...

, originally made by Thibaut for a church in

Bloemendaal Bloemendaal () is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Bloemendaal is, together with Wassenaar, the wealthiest place in the Netherlands. In October 2015, after persistent problems with the local governa ...

File:Gouda, Glas 2, Die Eroberung von Damiette.jpg, Window now in the

, by Thibaut In the church today, the lack of historic colorful windows has been made up for by installing windows from other, demolished or defunct churches, while modern artists have created new themes. A beautiful large blue window hanging on the northern side greets the visitor who enters through the double doors on the Groenmarkt. This window was made to personify peace and harmony, and was made by the local glass artist Michel van Overbeeke, who received a local prize of culture for this in 2009 (''De Olifant'').(Dutch) article
in

Haarlems Dagblad The ''Haarlems Dagblad'' is a regional newspaper in Haarlem, Netherlands. It makes claim to being the newspaper with the oldest publishing history in the world, even if this claim is based on its (forced) merger with another title. ''Oprechte ...

File:Haarlem Bavokerk leeuw in hollandse tuin.jpg, Stained glass window of the

Dutch maiden The Dutch Maiden (Dutch: ''Nederlandse Maagd'') is a national personification of the Netherlands. She is typically depicted wearing a Roman garment and with a lion, the Leo Belgicus, by her side. In addition to the symbol of a national maiden, t ...

was made in 1877 and donated by the Nederlandsche Maatschappij voor Nijverheid en Handel for their 100th anniversary File:Haarlem Bavokerk grote markt- blauwe raam.jpg, Peace & Harmony, by Michel van Overbeeke, 2009 File:Haarlem Bavokerk noach.jpg, Noah, by Louis Boermeester, 1985 File:Haarlem Bavokerk paradijs.jpg, Paradise, by

Gunhild Kristensen Gunhild Volkenborn-Kristensen (1919–2002) was a glazier, mosaic artist, painter and textile artist from the Netherlands. She was born in Leiden to William Brede Kristensen, a Norwegian church historian, and Jacoba Heldring. Works Kristensen's fi ...

, 1957

Organ

The

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

of the Sint-Bavokerk (the ''Christiaan Müller'' organ) is one of the world's most historically important organs. It was built by the Amsterdam organ builder Christian Müller, with stucco decorations by the Amsterdam artist

Jan van Logteren Jan van Logteren (baptized on 8 March 1709 – buried 11 October 1745), was an 18th-century draftsman and sculptor from the Northern Netherlands. Biography He was born in Amsterdam as the son of the successful sculptor Ignatius van Logteren. ...

, between 1735 and 1738. Upon completion it was the largest organ in the world with 60 voices and 32-foot pedal-towers. In ''

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler, whaling ship ''Pequod (Moby- ...

'' (1851),

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...

describes the inside of a whale's mouth: :"Seeing all these colonnades of bone so methodically ranged about, would you not think you were inside of the great Haarlem organ, and gazing upon its thousand pipes?" Many famous musicians played this organ, including

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...

Händel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

and the 10-year-old

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

, who played it in 1766. The organ was modified a number of times in the 19th and 20th centuries and most drastically altered in the renovation by Marcussen between 1959 and 1961. Further voicing work was undertaken between 1987 and 2000. Today concerts are regularly held in the church, and all through the year special opening times are organized so the public can walk in free of charge to listen to this famous organ in action. A local story goes to say that the bass of the organ was so low, the mortar in between the brimstones started to brittle to nothing.

Disposition

Couplers Coupler may refer to: Engineering Mechanical * Railway coupler, a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train device ** Janney coupler ** SA3 coupler ** Scharfenberg coupler for multiple unit passenger cars * Quick coupler, used in constru ...

: I/II, III/II, I/P, II/P, III/P

Graves

Until 1831 graves were allowed in the church, and many illustrious Haarlemmers through the centuries are buried there. Often people were buried under family gravestones, and the family shields of illustrious families are mounted on diamond shaped "plaques" hanging on the walls. Other illustrious Haarlemmers were buried in individual graves such as the rich

Pieter Teyler van der Hulst Pieter Teyler van der Hulst (25 March 1702 – 8 April 1778) was a wealthy Dutch Mennonite merchant and banker, who died childless, leaving a legacy of two million florins (in today's terms: about EUR 80 million) to the pursuit of religion, art ...

and Willem van Heythuisen. The painters

Maarten van Heemskerck Maarten van Heemskerck or ''Marten Jacobsz Heemskerk van Veen'' (1 June 1498 - 1 October 1574) was a Dutch portrait and religious painter, who spent most of his career in Haarlem. He was a pupil of Jan van Scorel, and adopted his teacher's Itali ...

(as a former church koster, he is buried in the kerstkapel),

Frans Hals Frans Hals the Elder (, , ; – 26 August 1666) was a Dutch Golden Age painter, chiefly of individual and group portraits and of genre works, who lived and worked in Haarlem. Hals played an important role in the evolution of 17th-century group ...

(who was buried in his first wife's grandfather's grave, Nicolaes Ghyblant, but who received his own gravestone in 1962), Saenredam himself (in the South choir way near the entrance), and

Jacob van Ruysdael Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael (; 1629 – 10 March 1682) was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural ac ...

and

Salomon van Ruysdael Salomon van Ruysdael (c. 1602, Naarden – buried 3 November 1670, Haarlem) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. He was the uncle of Jacob van Ruisdael.

. The two circus curiosities, the giant

Daniel Cajanus Daniel Cajanus (1704 – 27 February 1749) was a Finnish giant. He made his living by exhibiting himself for money; he appeared in many European countries and attracted the interest of scientists and laypeople, including royalty. After his death, ...

with his midget friend Jan Paap, are buried there. The last burial there was for

Willem Bilderdijk Willem Bilderdijk () (7 September 1756 – 18 December 1831) was a Dutch poet, historian, lawyer, and linguist. Life Willem Bilderdijk was born on 7 September 1756 in Amsterdam in the Dutch Republic.Joris van Eijnatten,Bilderdijk, W., ''Bio- en ...

. A local story is that under stone number 7 near the choir gate, there is a grave of a man who used to hit his mother as a child. After a time his hand started growing above his grave, and a copper plate had to be installed on the grave to stop the hand from growing. There is also a story that only the rich could afford to be buried in the church. Regardless of wealth, the corpses rotted as they lay under the stone floor, producing a foul odor. This gave rise to the phrase "Stinking Rich". File:St. Bavochurch Haarlem Frans Hals.jpg, Marker for grave of

File:Pieter teyler van der hulst grave in sint-bavokerk.JPG, Gravestone for

File:Grave epitaph Willem van Heythuysen.JPG, '' Heethuysen'' grave epitaph (

Hofje {{inline refs needed, date=May 2012 A hofje (diminutive of 'hof', 'court') is a Dutch word for a courtyard with almshouses around it. Hofjes have existed since the Middle Ages. A hofje provided housing for elderly people (mostly women). T ...

founder in Haarlem who died July 6, 1650) File:Gevelsteen Maerten van Heemskerck in Sint-Bavokerk.JPG, Commemorative plaque in the "Christmas chapel" to

Maarten van Heemskerk Maarten van Heemskerck or ''Marten Jacobsz Heemskerk van Veen'' (1 June 1498 - 1 October 1574) was a Dutch portrait and religious painter, who spent most of his career in Haarlem. He was a pupil of Jan van Scorel, and adopted his teacher's Itali ...

Bells

In 1429 the bells from the former parish church which was on the same spot where the 'Grote Kerk' was built, were hung in a large wooden belfry (klokhuis) behind the choir close of the church. It was demolished in 1804, to strengthen the finances of the city council, and the bells were sold. In 1918, a smaller iron replica was built on the same spot by the firm of Joh. Enschede where the guilder billets were printed. Today the Haarlem Grote Kerk tower is provided with a big bourdon bell from 1503 named Roeland, made by the

Kampen Campen or Kampen may refer to: Places Finland * Kampen, the Swedish name of Kamppi, a district in Helsinki Germany * Campen, Germany, a village by the Ems estuary, northwestern Germany, home of the Campen Lighthouse * Campen Castle, a part ...

bellfounder Bellfounding is the casting and tuning of large bronze bells in a foundry for use such as in churches, clock towers and public buildings, either to signify the time or an event, or as a musical carillon or chime. Large bells are made by casting ...

Geert van Wou Geert van Wou (1440, Hintham—December 1527, Kampen) was a well-known Dutch bellfounder. He is best known today for the Maria Gloriosa (1497) of Erfurt Cathedral. The son of a bellfounder, he is considered one of the most important bellfounders ...

. It sounds with tone A⁰ and has a weight of approx. 4900 kg This biggest

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...

in the tower strikes the hour. In 1662 François Hemony from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

made a

carillon A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

of 33 bells, later it was enlarged by his brother Pieter Hemony to 35 bells. In 1968 25 bells were recast by

Eijsbouts Royal Eijsbouts ( nl, Koninklijke Eijsbouts) is a bell foundry located in Asten, Netherlands. The workshop was founded in 1872 by Bonaventura Eijsbouts as a "factory for tower clocks." In 1893 Eijsbouts was joined by his 15-year-old son, Johan ...

in Asten, and it was expanded to a concert carillon of 47 bells. The carillon is tuned in

meantone temperament Meantone temperament is a musical temperament, that is a tuning system, obtained by narrowing the fifths so that their ratio is slightly less than 3:2 (making them ''narrower'' than a perfect fifth), in order to push the thirds closer to pure. Me ...

based on Des¹ (Dflat¹). Since this restoration the old 25 bells by Hemony hang in the tower of the

Bakenesserkerk The Bakenesserkerk is a former church and seat of the local archeological workgroup in Haarlem, Netherlands, on the Vrouwestraat 10. Its characteristic white tower can be seen in cityscapes of Haarlem. The entrance is opposite the rear entrance to ...

also in Haarlem. In 2010, the Grote Kerk carillon was redesigned to improve the play ability. The city

carillonneur A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmoniou ...

plays the bells weekly on the market days and on Tuesday in the summer there is a concert just before the weekly organ concert played often by guest players. The city carillonneur also re-inserts the pins on the drum twice a year. The drum plays to announce the hour strike and all other quarters of the hour. In Haarlem there is also a very short tune on every seven and half minute. So the drum chimes eight times in the hour. Rien Donkersloot is appointed by the municipality of Haarlem as the city carillonneur of Haarlem.

According to the local legend known as the ''Wapenvermeerdering'', or "Legend of the Haarlem shield", the two upper bells in the tower were taken from

Damiette Damietta ( arz, دمياط ' ; cop, ⲧⲁⲙⲓⲁϯ, Tamiati) is a port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt, a former bishopric and present multiple Catholic titular see. It is located at the Damietta branch, an easter ...

(''Damiate'' in Dutch) during the

Fifth Crusade The Fifth Crusade (1217–1221) was a campaign in a series of Crusades by Western Europeans to reacquire Jerusalem and the rest of the Holy Land by first conquering Egypt, ruled by the powerful Ayyubid sultanate, led by al-Adil, brother of Sala ...

by Haarlem knights and were placed in the tower. In reality, they were a gift by Johannes Dircks, a bell-maker from Aalst to

, the bishop of Haarlem, in 1562. Since then the two bells were chimed every evening between 21:00 and 21:30 o'clock, to give a signal for closing the city gates. In 1732 the bells were recast, and installed, by Jan Albert de Grave a bellfounder from Amsterdam. Since Haarlem was no longer a ''vesting stad'' or walled city, the tradition of the bells continued, to commemorate the conquest of Damiette on August 25, 1219. The bells have names Piet and Hein. * Bells in the Grote Kerk: * 1 Bourdon Roeland - Geert van Wou 1503 * Carillon ** 10 by François Hemony, 1661-1662 ** 37 by Eijsbouts, 1968 * 2

(Piet and Hein) - Jan Albert de Grave 1732 * 1 Kermisklok (Lunapark or pleasure fair bell) - Claude Fremy 1685 * Moving bells to be rung for the service: ** 1 François Hemony 1667 ** 1 Eijsbouts 1965

Gallery

File:SintBavo-map.JPG,

Romeyn de Hooghe Romeyn de Hooghe (bapt. 10 September 1645 – 10 June 1708) was a late Dutch Baroque painter, sculptor, engraver and caricaturist. Biography He was born in Amsterdam, and was a skilled etcher, draughtsman, painter, sculptor and medalist. ...

's map of Haarlem from 1688 File:Fokker vliegt rond de Grote of Sint-Bavokerk in Haarlem.jpg,

Anthony Fokker Anton Herman Gerard "Anthony" Fokker (6 April 1890 – 23 December 1939) was a Dutch aviation pioneer, aviation entrepreneur, aircraft designer, and aircraft manufacturer. He produced fighter aircraft in Germany during the First World War such ...

flies around the Grote Kerk in 1911 File:2015 0512 Interior Bavo Haarlem.jpg, Looking east from underneath the pipe organ down the central

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

File:Bavokerk Haarlem interior.JPG, Looking west towards the ''bread bank'' in the south

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parl ...

File:Broodbank sint-bavokerk 01.JPG, Broodbank File:Haarlem_Grote_Kerk2.jpg, Miniature ships in Sint-Bavokerk File:Haarlem_Grote_Kerk1.jpg, Church wooden ceiling File:P1030094copyGrote Kerk Haarlem.jpg, Choir gate of Sint-Bavokerk File:Choir-dog.JPG, Two-faced dog at the base of the Choir gate File:Haarlem Bavo.JPG, The church in 2009

Contemporary References

The church is mentioned by

Corrie ten Boom Cornelia Arnolda Johanna "Corrie" ten Boom (15 April 1892 – 15 April 1983) was a Dutch watchmaker and later a Christian writer and public speaker, who worked with her father, Casper ten Boom, her sister Betsie ten Boom and other family member ...

in her book, '' The Hiding Place''.

References

External links

- More information on the Müller Organ. * www.bavo.nl {{Authority control 15th-century churches in the Netherlands Bell towers in the Netherlands Buildings and structures completed in 1479 Carillons Churches in Haarlem Former cathedrals in the Netherlands Protestant churches in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Haarlem Towers in North Holland