Blije (Fr): reformed church
Blije,
or Blija as it's called in Dutch, is known to have had a church ever
since the early 13th century, which in catholic times was dedicated to
St. Nicolaas. Of the original Romanesque church built in that century
only the tower remains. The church itself was replaced by the current
Gothic one in the 16th century. It's a rather big church for such a
small village, a reminder of the time when Blije was a place of larger
regional importance. Various sources state that the church was built in
c. 1540, but it is unknown what part of the church this date refers to;
not only is there a small gap between the nave and the choir, the
windows of the choir are narrower as well, giving reason to believe the
choir was built first, perhaps when the old and shorter church was
still standing.
Probably in 1737 the roof of the nave was heightened with 3.50 metres,
The tower was heightened shortly after, in c. 1741.
