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Uithuizen (Gr): St. Jacobus de Meerdere (J.F. Scheepers, 1858-1861)

The catholic church of Uithuizen marked the beginning of neo-Gothic in the province of Groningen, incidently the same province where the last Gothic church of the Netherlands was built, in Harkstede in 1692. The church was designed by J.F. Scheepers, who was town architect of Groningen and as a rule was not allowed to accept assignments such as this one.
The church was probably largely modelled after the Redemptorist church in Amsterdam that was built in the early 1850's and had been designed by Th. Molkenboer. Both churches are more or less in true Gothic proportions, while inside there's only imitation Gothic; both for instance feature purely decorative vaults made of wood, reed and plaster. The most obvious difference between the two churches is that the one in Uithuizen has a tower. Although this tower was built from the ground up, it is mostly integrated in the facade while its upper part has the proportions of the wooden towers previously built on the roofs of churches in neo-Classical style. 
In 1938 the exterior was simplified and many ornaments, like pinnacles, were removed. In 1957 the interior was simplified as well, and all pillars were replaced by thinner ones.

 

 

 

 
 

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