Grote Kerk, Haarlem

Saint Bavo saves Haarlem from the Kennemers. Dated 1673 but showing legend from 1274. Now in the collection of the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Bavo, also in Haarlem.

This church is an important landmark for the city of Haarlem and has dominated the city skyline for centuries. It is built in the Gothic style of architecture, and it became the main church of Haarlem after renovations in the 15th century made it significantly larger than the Janskerk (Haarlem). First mention of a church on this spot was made in 1307, but the wooden structure burned in the 14th century.[1] The church was rebuilt and promoted to chapter church in 1479 and only became a cathedral in 1559.[1] The main architects were Godevaert de Bosscher and Steven van Afflighem (nave), and Evert van Antwerpen (transept).[1] The term "Catholic" was never really associated with this church, since it was only consecrated as a cathedral in 1559, which was already in the middle of the period known as the Protestant Reformation. The church was confiscated only 19 years later during the Haarlemse noon in 1578, when it was converted to Protestantism. It was dedicated to Saint Bavo at some time before 1500, though there exists a curious painting in the collection of the Catholic Cathedral of St. Bavo illustrating the miracle of St. Bavo saving Haarlem from the Kennemers in a scene from the 13th century. This painting was painted a century after the Catholics were banned from their church, and may have been a commemorative painting referring to the defense of the Church and the Catholic faith as well as the defense of the city.

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  View of the church from the west
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  View of the church from the north (Jansstraat)
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  View of the church over the Spaarne river from the North (taken from the train)
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  View of the church from the south

The northern side in 1696, painting by Gerrit Adriaenszoon Berckheyde

The south side today - on the right is the consistory added by De Bray

Though the exterior of the church seems timeless, it changed twice in the past 500 years; once when all statuary was removed from the outer niches during the Haarlemse Noon, and the second time in the late 19th century when a "more Gothic look" was given to the church by adding some fake ramparts to the roof edge. This can be seen easily when comparing pictures made before and afterwards.

Around the church various low buildings have been built up against it, most notably the former fish market called De Vishal, which today is used for exhibiting modern art.[4] On the south side a series of low buildings used as shops are built up against various church buildings such as the former "librye" or library, and sacristy. In 1630 the architect Salomon de Bray designed and built the consistory which still exists today.

Interior of St Bavo. Haarlem, by Gerrit Adriaensz. Berckheyde, 1673 (National Gallery, London)

Interior by Pieter Jansz. Saenredam

The interior of the church has also changed little over the years, though the inner chapels suffered greatly during the Beeldenstorm, and many stained-glass windows have been lost to neglect. Fortunately, the interior has been painted many times by local painters, most notably by Pieter Jansz Saenredam and the Berckheyde brothers. Based on these paintings, work has been done to reconstruct the interior so various items such as rouwborden or "mourning shields" hang again today in their "proper" place.

Façade of the pipe organ at Sint-Bavokerk. Mozart once played this organ.

The organ of the Sint-Bavokerk (the Christiaan Müller organ) is one of the world's most historically important organs. It was built by the Amsterdam organ builder Christian Müller, with stucco decorations by the Amsterdam artist Jan van Logteren, between 1735 and 1738. Upon completion it was the largest organ in the world with 60 voices and 32-foot pedal-towers. In Moby-Dick (1851), Herman Melville describes the inside of a whale's mouth:

"Seeing all these colonnades of bone so methodically ranged about, would you not think you were inside of the great Haarlem organ, and gazing upon its thousand pipes?"

Many famous musicians played this organ, including Mendelssohn, Händel and the 10-year-old Mozart, who played it in 1766. The organ was modified a number of times in the 19th and 20th centuries and most drastically altered in the renovation by Marcussen between 1959 and 1961. Further voicing work was undertaken between 1987 and 2000. Today concerts are regularly held in the church, and all through the year special opening times are organized so the public can walk in free of charge to listen to this famous organ in action.

A local story goes to say that the bass of the organ was so low, the mortar in between the brimstones started to brittle to nothing.

Until 1831 graves were allowed in the church, and many illustrious Haarlemmers through the centuries are buried there. Often people were buried under family gravestones, and the family shields of illustrious families are mounted on diamond shaped "plaques" hanging on the walls. Other illustrious Haarlemmers were buried in individual graves such as the rich Pieter Teyler van der Hulst and Willem van Heythuisen. The painters Maarten van Heemskerck (as a former church koster, he is buried in the kerstkapel), Frans Hals (who was buried in his first wife's grandfather's grave, Nicolaes Ghyblant, but who received his own gravestone in 1962), Saenredam himself (in the South choir way near the entrance), and Jacob van Ruysdael and Salomon van Ruysdael. The two circus curiosities, the giant Daniel Cajanus with his midget friend Jan Paap, are buried there. The last burial there was for Willem Bilderdijk.

A local story is that under stone number 7 near the choir gate, there is a grave of a man who used to hit his mother as a child. After a time his hand started growing above his grave, and a copper plate had to be installed on the grave to stop the hand from growing.[6]

There is also a story that only the rich could afford to be buried in the church. Regardless of wealth, the corpses rotted as they lay under the stone floor, producing a foul odor. This gave rise to the phrase "Stinking Rich".

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  Marker for grave of Frans Hals
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  Gravestone for Pieter Teyler van der Hulst
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  Heethuysen grave epitaph (Hofje founder in Haarlem who died July 6, 1650)
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  Commemorative plaque in the "Christmas chapel" to Maarten van Heemskerk

The former 'klokhuis' wooden belfry behind the choir of the 'Grote Kerk'

In 1429 the bells from the former parish church which was on the same spot where the 'Grote Kerk' was built, were hung in a large wooden belfry (klokhuis) behind the choir close of the church. It was demolished in 1804, to strengthen the finances of the city council, and the bells were sold. In 1918, a smaller iron replica was built on the same spot by the firm of Joh. Enschede where the guilder billets were printed.

Today the Haarlem Grote Kerk tower is provided with a big bourdon bell from 1503 named Roeland, made by the Kampen bellfounder Geert van Wou. It sounds with tone A⁰ and has a weight of approx. 4900 kg This biggest bell in the tower strikes the hour. In 1662 François Hemony from Amsterdam made a carillon of 33 bells, later it was enlarged by his brother Pieter Hemony to 35 bells. In 1968 25 bells were recast by Eijsbouts in Asten, and it was expanded to a concert carillon of 47 bells. The carillon is tuned in meantone temperament based on Des¹ (Dflat¹). Since this restoration the old 25 bells by Hemony hang in the tower of the Bakenesserkerk also in Haarlem. In 2010, the Grote Kerk carillon was redesigned to improve the play ability. The city carillonneur plays the bells weekly on the market days and on Tuesday in the summer there is a concert just before the weekly organ concert played often by guest players. The city carillonneur also re-inserts the pins on the drum twice a year. The drum plays to announce the hour strike and all other quarters of the hour. In Haarlem there is also a very short tune on every seven and half minute. So the drum chimes eight times in the hour. Rien Donkersloot is appointed by the municipality of Haarlem as the city carillonneur of Haarlem.

The bell tower of the Sint-Bavokerk

According to the local legend known as the Wapenvermeerdering, or "Legend of the Haarlem shield", the two upper bells in the tower were taken from Damiette (Damiate in Dutch) during the Fifth Crusade by Haarlem knights and were placed in the tower. In reality, they were a gift by Johannes Dircks, a bell-maker from Aalst to Nicolaas van Nieuwland, the bishop of Haarlem, in 1562. Since then the two bells were chimed every evening between 21:00 and 21:30 o'clock, to give a signal for closing the city gates. In 1732 the bells were recast, and installed, by Jan Albert de Grave a bellfounder from Amsterdam. Since Haarlem was no longer a vesting stad or walled city, the tradition of the bells continued, to commemorate the conquest of Damiette on August 25, 1219. The bells have names Piet and Hein.

• Bells in the Grote Kerk:
• 1 Bourdon Roeland - Geert van Wou 1503
• Carillon
  • 10 by François Hemony, 1661-1662
  • 37 by Eijsbouts, 1968
• 2 Damiaatjes (Piet and Hein) - Jan Albert de Grave 1732
• 1 Kermisklok (Lunapark or pleasure fair bell) - Claude Fremy 1685
• Moving bells to be rung for the service:
  • 1 François Hemony 1667
  • 1 Eijsbouts 1965

• History of early modern period domes

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  Romeyn de Hooghe's map of Haarlem from 1688
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  Anthony Fokker flies around the Grote Kerk in 1911
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  Looking east from underneath the pipe organ down the central nave
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  Looking west towards the bread bank in the south aisle
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  Broodbank
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  Miniature ships in Sint-Bavokerk
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  Church wooden ceiling
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  Choir gate of Sint-Bavokerk
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  Two-faced dog at the base of the Choir gate
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  The church in 2009

The church is mentioned by Corrie ten Boom in her book, The Hiding Place.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grote Kerk, Haarlem.

Dutch Rijksmonument 19264

• - More information on the Müller Organ.
• [2] www.bavo.nl