St. John's Basilica (Laren)
The Basilica of St. John the Baptist ( Dutch St. Jansbasiliek ) is a Roman Catholic church in Laren , Netherlands . The church is consecrated to St. John the Baptist , in the tradition of the community that has existed since the 11th century. The church belonging to the diocese of Haarlem-Amsterdam bears the title of a minor basilica and is protected as a Rijksmonument .
history
The building was built from 1924 to 1925 based on a design by the architect Wolter te Riele (1867–1937). The neo-Gothic style with expressionistic influences in the form of a cruciform church was chosen. The new building replaced a Waterstaatskirche from 1844, which occupied the western area of today's church. The church was consecrated on October 29, 1925 by the Bishop of Utrecht. On December 8, 1937, the church received by Pius XI. the title of a minor basilica , also because of its traditional procession.
architecture
Cross basilica consists of a nave, the length of which corresponds to its width with the two side aisles, a crossing with a dome , a pseudo transept with an absidal end, a seven-sided apse on the east side and a two-tower facade in the west. The church is made of red brick, the roof is also covered with red Dutch pans. The window shafts mostly have brick-shaped pointed arch windows with stained glass windows.
The symmetrically arranged two-tower facade is dominated by the two 50-meter high, tapering towers, which are almost identical. A large stone statue of St. John stands on a brick console between the church doors. The dome of the crossing has a square base with an octagonal tambour in the crossing , which is closed by an octagonal tent roof and an octagonal lantern . At the transition from square to octagon, square square towers are arranged at the corners.
The church at Brink 31, together with the rectory (Brink 33), the former monastery (Brink 29) and the former girls' school, form a protected ensemble along the eastern side of Brink Street.
Furnishing
Some windows are made of leaded glazing . The pictures by Han Bijvoet in the choir tell the life of John the Baptist. A five meter bronze statue by Leo Brom from 1933 shows a serving John. Fourteen frescoes in the interior depict the Way of the Cross, painted by Pieter Cornelius de Moor (1866–1953).
The new building took over the old organ of the Waterstaatskirche. During the Second World War this was replaced by an organ from Verschueren. In 1974 an electronic organ followed. In 2002 the organ of the Church of St. John the Baptist in Amsterdam- Slotervaart was taken over. The instrument with 32 registers was adapted and installed by the original organ builder Adema, and it was completed with the inauguration in 2002.
procession
The procession traditionally takes place to celebrate St. John's Day on June 24th. The tradition, which dates back to the Middle Ages, was banned in 1580 as part of the Reformation, as was any form of Catholic worship. Nevertheless, the residents went to the cemetery alone or in small groups, often at dusk or at night. The tradition was resumed around 1800 during the French occupation with the Batavian Republic , and in 1806 the Brotherhood of St. John was founded to carry out the procession. In 1886, Corpus Christi fell on St. John's Day and the procession was permanently converted into a sacrament procession and more solemn. The triumphal arches also date from this period. After weaker phases, 2000 believers are taking part today.
Web links
- Parish website (Dutch)
Individual evidence
- ^ Basiliek van de H. Johannes de Doper on gcatholic.org
- ↑ a b St. Jansbasiliek on monument register
- ↑ Sint Jan Basilica Minor (Dutch)
- ↑ St. John's Festival and Procession (Dutch)
Coordinates: 52 ° 15 ′ 22 ″ N , 5 ° 13 ′ 37 ″ E