Gorinchem's principal monument without a doubt is the 60 meters tall Gothic St. Jan's tower. Built in a part of Holland close to the borders with Gelderland, Brabant and Utrecht, it shows influences from various Gothic styles, without really belonging to any of them. The walls feature patterns of glazed stones. In its north-eastern corner is an octagonal stair-turret. On top is a low octagonal segment with a spire. Construction took place between 1517 and 1570. Already during the first stages of its construction, the tower began to lean. The higher portions of the tower have been built more in register, but the sag is very noticeable none the less. The rest of the church was demolished in 1844, and replaced by the current one a few years later.
The contrast between the tower and the church could hardly be bigger. The current church was finished in 1851, and is in eclectic neo-Classical style, with obvious Romanesque influences; a building one would expect to see in Italy perhaps, but not here. Especially its yellowish colour gives it a mediterranean look.
It's a three-aisled basilican church, built mostly out of (plastered) brick, with cast iron used for the window-frames and plenty of plaster in the interior as well as wooden vaults.