GROTE KERK (BIG CHURCH)
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Remarkable and incredible church with ogival vaults and beautiful 16th century stained glass windows in The Hague
Like Amsterdam and Delft, The Hague also boasts a number of religious edifices that have made its reputation and identity. The Grote Kerk is one of them. This remarkable and unmissable church was built in several stages. It was probably in the 14th century that the village's modest wooden chapel, then the only place of worship, was replaced by a brick basilica. This was completely remodeled in the 15th century (only the transept was preserved), and the hexagonal tower (one of the few of its kind in the Netherlands) was erected in 1424. From the top of the tower, lookouts kept watch for invaders arriving by sea, but this did not prevent the church from being ransacked in the 16th century. Only the tower remained intact, and the church was immediately restored. As old as the tower itself, the carillon, one of the proudest features of the Haguenois, is to some extent emblematic of the town, bearing its symbol, the stork. In urgent need of restoration in the 1970s, the church was handed over to a private foundation for lack of funds, which now organizes concerts and exhibitions there (concerts on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and public holidays at 12 noon). The layout of the building, typical of Dutch hall churches, features three transepts of equal height, which determine the original treatment of the space. The interior features ogival vaults and superb 16th-century stained-glass windows.
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