Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk (; en, Great, or St. Lawrence Church) is a

Protestant 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 ...

church in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

. It is the only remnant of the medieval city of Rotterdam.

History

The church was built between 1449 and 1525. In 1621 a wooden spire was added to the tower, designed by

Hendrick de Keyser Hendrick de Keyser (15 May 1565 – 15 May 1621) was a Dutch sculptor, merchant in Belgium bluestone, and architect who was instrumental in establishing a late Renaissance form of Mannerism changing into Baroque. Most of his works appeared in Amst ...

. Poor quality of its wood caused the spire to be demolished in 1645. A stone cube was added to the tower, which proved too heavy for the foundation in 1650. New piles were driven under the tower and in 1655 the tower stood straight again. This

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

was the first all stone building in Rotterdam. Many important events took place here. The last priest of the Laurenskerk was Hubertus Duifhuis. The

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 ...

took place in 1572 and the Laurenskerk became a Protestant church. Ministers of the church include Laurens Johannes Jacobus van Oosterzee, Abraham Hellenbroek, Jan Scharp and J.R. Callenbach, who wrote a book about the history of the church a few years before the

Rotterdam Blitz Rotterdam was subjected to heavy aerial bombardment by the ''Luftwaffe'' during the German invasion of the Netherlands in World War II. The objective was to support the German troops fighting in the city, break Dutch resistance and force the ...

. The church is still used for worship of the

Protestant Church 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 ...

. In the Rotterdam Blitz on May 14, 1940, the Laurenskerk was heavily damaged, with only the tower and walls surviving. At first there were calls to demolish the church, but that was stopped by

Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands Wilhelmina (; Wilhelmina Helena Pauline Maria; 31 August 1880 – 28 November 1962) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1890 until her abdication in 1948. She reigned for nearly 58 years, longer than any other Dutch monarch. Her reign saw World Wa ...

. The provisional National Monuments Commission had both supporters and opponents of restoration. In particular, committee member and architect J.J.P. Oud opposed rebuilding in 1950 and presented an alternative plan which would preserve only the tower. Next to the memorial a new, smaller church would be built. This alternative plan was rejected, particularly because restoration of the Laurenskerk was viewed as a symbol of the resilience of Rotterdam's community. In 1952, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands laid the foundation stone for the restoration, which was completed in 1968. In 1971 the ''Laurenspastoraat'' community was established (as part of the Reformed Church of Rotterdam) in order to resume church services. The community received a Cross of Nails replica from Coventry Cathedral in order to become a local center for peace and reconciliation. In 1981 the liberal ''Maaskant/Open Grenzen'' community joined the church and since then the two communities alternate their services. File:Delftse Vaart and the St Laurens church in Rotterdam, by Cornelis Springer.jpg, The church and its surroundings in 1621–1645 File:Het verwoeste Hang met de Steigersgracht en Sint-Laurenskerk 1940.jpg, Rotterdam's city centre and the church after the bombing in 1940 File:Rotterdam, Laurenskerk, na bombardement van mei 1940.jpg, The church and its surroundings in 1943–1945 File:GraphyArchy - Wikipedia 00220.jpg, The church and its surroundings in 2016

References

External links

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Kerken in de Laurens
organization in charge of services at the church {{Authority control Churches in Rotterdam Rijksmonuments in Rotterdam Reformed church buildings in the Netherlands Protestant churches converted from Roman Catholicism 15th-century churches in the Netherlands