The Grote Kerk is a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

De Rijp De Rijp is a village and former island in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Alkmaar, and lies about 10 km northwest of Purmerend, between the Schermer and the Beemster polders. Before the poldering of t ...

, Netherlands, located near the

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. The church is known for its 17th-century stained-glass windows.

History

The church was built in 1529 but burned in 1654 during the fire in January of that year. It was rebuilt in 1654-1655.Rijksmonument report The windows date from this period and were gifts to the community from various cities in North Holland that surround the town. The clock tower was added in 1661 and contains two bells by Antoni Wilkes made in 1663. A ship's model from 1696 hangs near the entrance. The pulpit with copper bible support and the baptismal gates and font all date from the 17th-century. File:Brand De Rijp1 WEB.jpg, ''The Great Fire of 1654 in De Rijp'', by

Egbert van der Poel Egbert van der Poel (9 March 1621 – 19 July 1664) was a Dutch Golden Age genre and landscape painter. Life Van der Poel was born in Delft, the son of a goldsmith, and may have been a student of Esaias van de Velde and of Aert van der Neer. ...

References

{{reflist De Rijp Churches in North Holland Rijksmonuments in North Holland Churches completed in 1655 17th-century Protestant churches Protestant churches in the Netherlands 1655 establishments in the Dutch Republic