Bergeijk
(NB): St. Petrus' Banden
This Gothic, three-aisled
cruciform church with pseudo-basilican nave was the successor of a
Romanesque church from the 12th century. Starting in ca. 1422 that
previous church was gradually replaced. First a new nave was built. Ca.
1525 work on a new choir started, which was built with the use of tuff
taken from the old church, as well as brick. The two materials were
used in layers. Shortly after that the transept was built. The
side-aisles were widened and lengthened to run along the Romanesque
tower, which was retained. To the northern side-aisle two gables with
windows were added. The windows on the south side are higher. Small
dormer-windows on the roof illuminate the central nave, this is
probably a later addition.
In 1650 he tower collapsed, also destroying the two western traves of
the nave. The remaining part of the church was given a new facade by
the new protestant owners of the church, a wall with a door and a small
window, supported by six buttresses. Instead of a new tower, in 1669 a
small freestanding building was built to house the bells. Such
bell-houses were quite common in this province once, but this is the
only surviving example.
In 1798 the church was returned to the catholics. A relatively early
restitution, the result of an active lobby by the parishioners, despite
the opposition of the local priest who regarded the building as
desecrated after 150 years of protestant use. It also must have been in
a very bad state. But it was the parish's wish to use the church, and a
year after restitution, after the most essential repairs had been made,
the first mass was held. A real restoration was carried out in
1888-1893. Architect C. Franssen cleant the walls of the choir, showing
the contrast between brick and tuff, and adding new traceries to the
windows, as well as pinacles to the gables. The stone vaul of the
choir, which had been replaced by a plaster one in 1850, was rebuilt.
More important,Franssen lengthened the nave with two new traves and
gave the church a new facade. To compensate for the lack of a tower,
the stair-turret next to the choir was heightened and given a new
spire.
In 1965 the church was abandoned for a new one, and fell into decay. In
1975-1977 it was once again restored, which among other things resulted
in the loss of most of the pinacles Franssen had so generously added to
the gables. In 1994 the parish returned to the old church, which is now
also used for exhibitions.
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