Grote of Sint-Jacobskerk (The Hague)

The Grote Kerk (English: large church ), the church of St. James, is the town church of The Hague.

History

The oldest, dating from the 14th century part of the Gothic hall church was badly damaged in a fire in 1539.

The 1420 built, 100m high tower falls by its unique in the Netherlands hexagonal shape. After the fire, the church, the tower also used as a military observation post was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. In 1861 he was provided with a neo-Gothic spire. This part of the tower was lovingly referred to as the nightcap of the Hague residents, however, away from the restoration of 1951.

The German occupiers away in July 1941 the carillon, but since the largest bell, called Jhezus, not fit through the small openings of the tower, they remained the church. In 1959 she was supplemented with one of the largest carillons in the Netherlands with 51 bells.

In the Grote Kerk most wedding and christening of the royal family took place. Since the completion of a major renovation in 1987, the church now serves as a venue for exhibitions, fairs and festival events.

Equipment

In the beautiful vaulted nave of the Grote Kerk high, sparse choir, several tombs and grave slabs, including on the rear wall of the choir those of the poet and statesman Constantijn Huygens ( † 1687 ) and his son, the physicist and astronomer Christiaan Huygens are († 1695).

Furthermore, remarkable are the carved wooden pulpit of 1550, the coat of arms of the Knights of panels Order of the Golden Fleece and the great organ of 1881 and the windows in the choir and in the north transept.

The great organ was built in 1971 by the organ builder Metzler ( Dietikon ). The purely mechanical instrument has 50 stops on three manuals and pedal.

• Couplers: II / I, III / I, I / P, II / P