Grote Kerk

De Grote Kerk van Wijk bij Duurstede (The Great Chuch at Wijk bij Duurstede)

The Grote Kerk (Great Church) is one of the most important national monuments in Wijk bij Duurstede (in the central Netherlands), located on the Market in the old town centre.

Kasteelbeer, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, via Wikimedia Commons

Since the church was dedicated to John the Baptist at the time, it is also called St. John’s Church or St.-Jan Baptist Church in literature.

The church has a brick tower, which is richly equipped with natural stone elements. The tower belongs to the most important late Gothic towers in Netherlands and like most old towers is owned by the civil municipality.

The Grand Church and the adjacent ecclesiastical centre Open Court are jointly used by the Reformed Church and the Protestant Church of Wijk bij Duurstede. Both congregations hold their services in the Grote Kerk and use the church centre for all kinds of activities.

It was in November 2016 that work began in removing the Harrison & Harrison organ from St Peter’s Church and then transporting it to The Great Chuch at Wijk bij Duurstede before rebuilding. The organ is now fully restored and used for concerts.

The church website can be found here: http://www.grotekerk-wijkbijduurstede.nl/index.php

The website for the organ is here: http://www.grotekerk-wijkbijduurstede.nl/index.php/harrison-harrison-orgel.html

Image of the newly installed and restored Harrison & Harrison organ

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *