After the Reformation in the 1570's the catholics of Nootdorp lost their church, which from then on was protestant. The local parish was in 1627 replaced by a large so-called station which encompassed several villages North and East of Nootdorp and was serviced by a priest from Stompwijk, the most central village. In ca. 1652 a priest settled in Nootdorp and a barn church was built at the edge of the village, in the Nieuwveen hamlet. In 1656 Nootdorp became a station in its own right. Because the catholic community was mostly a poor one, the barn church would be used until 1871, but not without changes. In the years 1813-1815 it was restored and ornamented and in 1817 extended with a tower while at the same time the thatched roof was replaced with one with roof tiles. A house in front of the church, derelict and no longer needed to hide the church from direct view, was demolished. A drawing of the church shows it with pointed windows and a facade with a clock gable and a square tower on top. In 1868 the parish the parish inherited the fortune of a wealthy parishioner. Plans were made to build a new church behind the old one. Young architect E.J. Margry, who had only build one church yet, was commisioned for the design. In 1869 work started on the construction of a new church although the foundations were laid earlier. In 1871 the tower was completed. The church is a crucifom basilica in a neo-Gothic style based on 13th-century French Gothic. It has a distinctive tower with a octagonal upper segment positioned in between four cylindrical corner-turrets. The clerestorey has unusually shaped windows. The transept-arms are polygonal. In the corners between these and the choir are lateral chapels. Margry also designed the presbytery next to the church. Much more recently a modern addition was built on the other side of the building. |
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