Tower of the Sint-Lievens-Minster (Zierikzee)
The tower of the Sint-Lievens-Münsters (also called Dicker Turm ) is the monumental church tower ("Monstertoren", as much as: Münsterturm ) of the former minster at Zierikzee in the Netherlands ( province of Zeeland ). The nave was demolished after a fire in 1832. The tower is the most famous structure in Zierikzee.
history
Until the Reformation , the Zierikzee Minster was dedicated to Saint Livinus of Ghent (Dutch Lieven). The architectural history of the sacred building has been clarified through archaeological excavations. First a tuff basilica with a transept was built in the 12th century . The choir and the transept arms each closed with an apse. A new brick choir room with buttresses and 5/8 end was added to this in the 14th century . Finally, the 15th century hall church followed .
The ambitious late-Gothic building program for the tower and new church was started by the cathedral chapter in 1454, and the builder was probably Andries Keldermans from Mechelen . The foundation work took about 25 years and was hampered by the great fire of 1466. The circumference of the tower is 16 × 16 m at the base (24.5 × 24.5 m with buttresses) (for comparison: the tower of the Utrecht Cathedral has a base circumference of 19.5 × 19.5 m). After about 30 years of further construction, the tower had reached its current height of 61 m when the city's heyday was over and the necessary capital for further construction had been used up. According to more recent estimates, according to the original plans, the tower should have reached a height of approx. 130 m.
After the fire in the church in 1832, in which the tower remained undamaged, the late Gothic church was demolished and a simple classical hall built in its place , the Nieuwe Kerk, completed in 1848, which no longer has any connection with the now free-standing tower. In the years 1839/1840, 1883–1887 and 1957–1972 restoration work took place.
Others
The tower is open to visitors and can be climbed up to the top platform. On the ground floor there is a small museum on the history of the church and tower and a contact point for the parish.
literature
- H. Uil, Zierikzee. Monumentenstad aan de Schelde , Goes 1995 ISBN 90-72138-45-7
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 39 ′ 1.2 " N , 3 ° 54 ′ 53.1" E