The first church of Wijhe was possibly a wooden building which has left no traces whatoever. In the 12th century a small aisleless church in Romanesque style was build out of tuff stone. In ca. 1200 the current tower was added; in Romanesque style as well, but this time bricks were used. In the following centuries the church itself was gradually replaced to become the current three-aisled church with characteristics of both a pseudo-basilica and a hall-church.
At the end of the 13th century the Romanesque choir was replaced by the current one in Gothic style. In 1336 the tower was heightened with a new upper segment, also in Gothic style. In ca. 1425 the nave was replaced with the current one. It was probably originally built aisleless, but soon a narrow side-aisle was added to the north side nave and the tower. The outside of the new wall was clad with the tuff taken from the old nave.
In the second quarter of the 15th century work began to enlarge the church into a hall-church. The southern side-aisle, which is as wide and high as the main aisle, was build and extended with a lateral choir in the second half of the 15th century. At the north side a different procedure was chosen; in ca. 1550 a sacristy in the form of another lateral choir was added, which would have later been extended with a side-aisle if work had not stopped, probably due to the Reformation and the Eighty Years War. In the early 17th century the church was confiscated by the protestants, and it has been a reformed church ever since.
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province of Overijssel
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