Photo: Dudok Architectuur Centrum

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Grote Kerk
1891 / J. Wolbers

Kerkbrink 4

In 1889 architect J. Wolbers from Haarlem made a renovation plan for the Grote Kerk on Kerkbrink in the center of Hilversum. The plan was so far-reaching that only a few walls of the old church remained. On the first Sunday in May 1891, the renovated church building, with a neo-Renaissance-style facade, was inaugurated. In 1976-1977 the church was rebuilt again after a devastating fire. The tower has been a national monument since 1973. The Grote Kerk complex, consisting of a church building, catechism classroom and garden shed, was designated a national monument in 2002.

Ravaged by fires

In the fifteenth century (and probably even earlier) there was already a chapel on the site of the Grote Kerk on Kerkbrink that served as the parish church of Hilversum. After the Reformation, the church was used by the Reformed. In the centuries that followed, the church was hit by fires several times and rebuilt just as often. In the great fire in 1766 in which a large part of Hilversum went up in flames, only the garden shed of the rectory escaped the fire. In 1768 the church was restored. Old engravings show that the choir of the church was oriented east to the Kerkbrink.

Expansion to church hall

After the church was in a dilapidated state at the end of the nineteenth century and could no longer cope with the growth in the number of parishioners, it was decided to enlarge the church. The church was converted into an aisleless church with the choir of the church turned to the west. An extra tower was added on the side of the Kerkbrink. The red-brick church was given a Neo-Renaissance appearance, with artificial stones and stucco decorative elements in the facade, such as various pediments, cornices and diamond-head motifs. In 1971 the church was again ravaged by fire. The roof of the church collapsed, but the walls remained standing. The church was rebuilt in 1976-1977 after long and fierce discussions.

Interior

In the church is a pulpit from 1644, which was made for the Sint Olofskapel in Amsterdam and stood in the Prinsessekerk in Amsterdam from 1918-1965. It is placed on a base made of old gravestones. The church organ dates from 1858 and was originally made for the Sint-Jozefkerk in Gouda by Wilhelm Rütter from Kevelaer. The organ was placed in the Grote Kerk in 1979.

Tower

The medieval tower is the oldest part of the church and dates from 1481. The tower also did not escape the fires that ravaged the church over the centuries. The tower was rebuilt or restored several times. After the fire in 1971, the tower was given a new spire.