Kloosterkerk, The Hague
Encyclopedia
The Kloosterkerk is a church on the Lange Voorhout in The Hague
, Netherlands. The church and its accompanying monastery were first built in 1397. The church is known today as the church where Queen Beatrix occasionally attends services.
. Reforms undertaken by Raymond of Capua, brought a renewed growth to the order, and it is around this time in 1397 that a monastery and church was first built for the Dominicans in The Hague.
(1336–1404) and his second wife Margaret of Cleves
(ca. 1375-1412). Some known artistic products to have been produced in this period are an important illuminated manuscript, the Hours of Margaret of Cleves commissioned between 1395-1400, and the visually similar Biblia pauperum
.
From December 1399 Dirc van Delf (ca. 1365-ca. 1404) was among the court of the Duke Albrecht of Bavaria in The Hague. There he had the function of court chaplain, but he also lectured at German universities, such as Cologne and Erfurt.
, a Valencian
Dominican
missionary
who was canonized June 3, 1455 by Pope Calixtus III.
(iconoclasm of 1566). A number of monks lived on for a few more years, but in 1574 the last few monks left. After being abandoned for 12 years, the church had deteriorated and some suggested to tear it down. In 1588 a cavalry company seeking shelter settled in the former church. The following year the church and choir were made into a cannon foundry for the States of Holland and West Friesland. The choir was used as a foundry and the church served as a munition store with the two walled off from each other. On November 3, 1690, the ammunition stored in the church exploded leaving only one wall of the monastery remaining. The monastery then temporarily served as a hospital. In 1583 most of the monastery was demolished, though the (now Protestant) church remained.
" it. In 1617 it was split when a conflict over Arminianism
erupted. A great debate ensued between political and religious authorities. A great debate ensued between Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
and statesman Johan van Oldenbarneveldt that resulted in the later's arrest, trial, and decapitation. In 1620 a mechanical clock was added to the tower, made by Huyck Hopcoper. For the centuries to follow the church was used for Dutch reformist worship with the pulpit standing against the north wall. Throughout the 17th century, the burial of people in the church brought money and numerous hatchment
s (Dutch:"rouwbord"). Most walls and columns were covered with hatchments, with the graves predominantly in the choir. A lead coffin was found in the choir with the embalmed remains of the foundress of the monastery, Margaret of Cleves
.
carvings, circa 1700. Carvings on the pulpit show the Four Evangelists
. Stained glass windows throughout the church are attributed to Lou Asperslagh (1893–1949). The first liturgical service of the Dutch Reformed Church
was held in the Kloosterkerk in 1911 and an impending demolition avoided in 1912. For the next two years the dilapidated church building was restored. Subsequent improvements include restoration of furniture brought from the former Duinoord Kloosterkerk; and the wall between the nave and choir was removed. In 1966 an organ by Danish organ builder Marcussen was installed.
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Netherlands. The church and its accompanying monastery were first built in 1397. The church is known today as the church where Queen Beatrix occasionally attends services.
History
Origins of the original monastery and church that occupied this site may be found in the Dominican OrderDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
. Reforms undertaken by Raymond of Capua, brought a renewed growth to the order, and it is around this time in 1397 that a monastery and church was first built for the Dominicans in The Hague.
Court of Albrecht of Bavaria
A thriving new center of arts was established in The Hague by the Court of Albrecht of BavariaAlbrecht of Bavaria
*Albert I, Duke of Bavaria*Albert V, Duke of Bavaria *Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria*Albert II, Duke of Bavaria...
(1336–1404) and his second wife Margaret of Cleves
Margaret of Cleves (c.1375-1411)
Margaret of Cleves was a German noblewoman. A daughter of Adolph III, Count of Mark and Margaret of Jülich , in 1394 she became the second wife of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria, though the marriage remained childless. The couple held court in The Hague....
(ca. 1375-1412). Some known artistic products to have been produced in this period are an important illuminated manuscript, the Hours of Margaret of Cleves commissioned between 1395-1400, and the visually similar Biblia pauperum
Biblia pauperum
The Biblia pauperum was a tradition of picture Bibles beginning in the later Middle Ages. They sought to portray the historical books of the Bible visually. Unlike a simple "illustrated Bible", where the pictures are subordinated to the text, these Bibles placed the illustration in the centre,...
.
From December 1399 Dirc van Delf (ca. 1365-ca. 1404) was among the court of the Duke Albrecht of Bavaria in The Hague. There he had the function of court chaplain, but he also lectured at German universities, such as Cologne and Erfurt.
Early Architecture
In 1420 a fire raged through the monastery, but serious renovations are not recorded until the church's southern transept was added in the beginning of the 16th century. The church was expanded around 1540 with an enlarged aisle and side chapels. The center barrel vaulted aisle is 20 meters high and 11.5 meters wide. The worship space became a pilgrimage church, where people could visit and pass through, while services were being held in the central aisle or nave. At this time the church was also dedicated to St. VincentVincent Ferrer
Saint Vincent Ferrer was a Valencian Dominican missionary and logician.-Early life:Vincent was the fourth child of the Anglo-Scottish nobleman William Stewart Ferrer and his Spanish wife, Constantia Miguel. Legends surround his birth...
, a Valencian
Valencian
Valencian is the traditional and official name of the Catalan language in the Valencian Community. There are dialectical differences from standard Catalan, and under the Valencian Statute of Autonomy, the Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua has been established as its regulator...
Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who was canonized June 3, 1455 by Pope Calixtus III.
Protestant Reformation
It was stripped of Catholic decorations during the beeldenstormBeeldenstorm
Beeldenstorm in Dutch, roughly translatable to "statue storm", or Bildersturm in German , also the Iconoclastic Fury, is a term used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that occurred in Europe in the 16th century...
(iconoclasm of 1566). A number of monks lived on for a few more years, but in 1574 the last few monks left. After being abandoned for 12 years, the church had deteriorated and some suggested to tear it down. In 1588 a cavalry company seeking shelter settled in the former church. The following year the church and choir were made into a cannon foundry for the States of Holland and West Friesland. The choir was used as a foundry and the church served as a munition store with the two walled off from each other. On November 3, 1690, the ammunition stored in the church exploded leaving only one wall of the monastery remaining. The monastery then temporarily served as a hospital. In 1583 most of the monastery was demolished, though the (now Protestant) church remained.
Early Protestant Church
A part of the building became a church again in 1617 after remonstrants had successfully "squattedSquatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
" it. In 1617 it was split when a conflict over Arminianism
Arminianism
Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic followers, the Remonstrants...
erupted. A great debate ensued between political and religious authorities. A great debate ensued between Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange
Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange was sovereign Prince of Orange from 1618, on the death of his eldest half brother, Philip William, Prince of Orange,...
and statesman Johan van Oldenbarneveldt that resulted in the later's arrest, trial, and decapitation. In 1620 a mechanical clock was added to the tower, made by Huyck Hopcoper. For the centuries to follow the church was used for Dutch reformist worship with the pulpit standing against the north wall. Throughout the 17th century, the burial of people in the church brought money and numerous hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
s (Dutch:"rouwbord"). Most walls and columns were covered with hatchments, with the graves predominantly in the choir. A lead coffin was found in the choir with the embalmed remains of the foundress of the monastery, Margaret of Cleves
Margaret of Cleves
Margaret of Cleves may refer to:* Margaret of Cleves , wife of Louis II of Thüringen* Margaret of Cleves , wife of Otto II of Gelre* Margaret of Cleves , wife of Adolf II van der Mark...
.
Modern architectural changes
Rosettes in the ceiling are attributed to Gerhard Jansen (1868–1956). Other furnishings include a pulpit of oak with FlemishFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
carvings, circa 1700. Carvings on the pulpit show the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
. Stained glass windows throughout the church are attributed to Lou Asperslagh (1893–1949). The first liturgical service of the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
was held in the Kloosterkerk in 1911 and an impending demolition avoided in 1912. For the next two years the dilapidated church building was restored. Subsequent improvements include restoration of furniture brought from the former Duinoord Kloosterkerk; and the wall between the nave and choir was removed. In 1966 an organ by Danish organ builder Marcussen was installed.
Notable events
- The wedding of Prince Frederick Henry and Amalia of Solms-BraunfelsAmalia of Solms-BraunfelsAmalia of Solms-Braunfels , was a regent of Orange. She was the wife of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. She was the daughter of John Albert I of Solms-Braunfels and Agnes of Sayn-Wittgenstein.-Childhood:...
occurred at the Kloosterkerk in 1625. - William III of EnglandWilliam III of EnglandWilliam III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
came to the Kloosterkerk in 1691 after he had been crowned king. - Around 1800 when French armies entered The Hague, a committee was established and met within the church walls where they planned to replace the Stadholder's family that had left for England.
- In 1813 a regiment of CossackCossackCossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
Army troops was temporarily housed in the church. - The 16-year-old Queen WilhelminaQueen WilhelminaQueen Wilhelmina may refer to:*Wilhelmine of Prussia , Queen consort of the Netherlands 1815–1837*Wilhelmina of the Netherlands, Queen of the Netherlands 1890–1948...
attended the Last Supper for the first time in 1896. The day before she had been confirmed as a member of the Dutch Reformed Church at the Noordeinde PalaceNoordeinde PalaceNoordeinde Palace is one of the three official palaces of the Dutch royal family. Located in The Hague in the province of South Holland, it has been used as the "working palace" for Queen Beatrix since 1984.-From farmhouse to palace:...
.
Notable Burials
- Margaret of ClevesMargaret of Cleves (c.1375-1411)Margaret of Cleves was a German noblewoman. A daughter of Adolph III, Count of Mark and Margaret of Jülich , in 1394 she became the second wife of Albert I, Duke of Bavaria, though the marriage remained childless. The couple held court in The Hague....
wife of Albrecht of BavariaAlbrecht of Bavaria*Albert I, Duke of Bavaria*Albert V, Duke of Bavaria *Albrecht, Duke of Bavaria*Albert II, Duke of Bavaria... - Poet and statesman Jacob CatsJacob CatsJacob Cats was a Dutch poet, humorist, jurist and politician. He is most famous for his emblem books.-Early years:...
was buried in the Kloosterkerk in 1660 and has a memorial against a pillar inside the church still today. - Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, for whom in 2002 a bronze commemorative plaque was unveiled by the Polish ambassador.