Westzaan (NH): Grote Kerk or reformed church (J. van der Streng, 1740-1741)
In the Middle Ages a big Gothic church dedicated to St. Joseph stood on this location. In 1573, in the 80-Years War, this church was destroyed and rudimentarily repaired later for protestant use. In 1740-1741 the old church was replaced by the current building, which was designed by Jan van der Streng. Only the tower of the old church remained. The church has a ground-plan that is shaped like a Greek cross, with spaces in the corners shaped like a quarter of a circle. The church is built in Louis XV-style, which is rather rare in The Netherlands. The eastern facade has a nicely decorated gable with the coat of arms of Westzaan. The other gables are much more simple. After the decayed tower collapsed in 1843 a new western facade was built, which itself was replaced by a new one during a restoration in 1967-1970.
