Nieuwe
Tonge (ZH): reformed church
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Typical for this part of the country is the circular churchyard,
surrounded by a
moat. The village is arranged around this churchyard.
This church was almost entirely built in ca. 1500. The nave is one
aisle wide. It is the only church on the island of Goeree-Overflakkee
that has a transept. The buttresses on all parts of the church are
decorated with natural stone. The tower shows represents a type of
tower typical for this island, with as its most typical characteristics
the short segments and the tall, slim buttresses. The upper segment of
the tower has a balustrade which probably dates from the 17th
century.On the south-side the tower is flanked by what probably was a
baptistry, while on the north-side it has a stair-turret.
Since the Reformation, when the Catholic faith was dorbidden and the
church was confiscated, several changes have been made to the church.
The choir served as a school for a long time. A wooden fence seperated
the choir from the nave. In 1723 a fire destroyed part of the choir. In
1777 a new porch was added to the north-side of the nave. The interior
of the nave was renewed in 1813.
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