The tower of this church is very old. It dates back to the second half of the twelfth century and is made of tuffstone. The church behind the tower was completely renovated in 1682, thanks to a financial boost from Grietman Van Jongestal. His name and coat of arms can be found at the top of the monumental entrance, enriched with sandstone.
Inside the church, you will find a simple but beautiful inventory under a wooden barrel vault. The pulpit and baptismal screen date back to the seventeenth century. In addition, there are two lord's benches with raised backrests and crest pieces with as-yet-unknown coats of arms. The organ on the west gallery dates from 1917.
Additional information:
The Martinuskerk is situated on an elevated cemetery of the village, which is already on a glacial ridge. The tower is constructed of tuffstone and dates back to the second half of the 12th century. It consists of a tall, undecorated section with round-arched windows on the north and south sides in the upper part and a large pointed arch window on the west side. The latter has been bricked up with red brick. After a slight rejuvenation, two more sections follow with spire niches between corner pilasters and under round-arched friezes. In the middle section, there is a small Romanesque window on each side, and in the highest section, there are round-arched sound holes. The church was completely renovated in 1682 after a financial boost from the grietman. At the top of the monumental sandstone entrance with Doric pilasters, a frieze, and a segmental pediment, the name and coat of arms of Gellius Wibrandus van Jongestal were included. Above that is a framed oval window, adorned with a skull and a winged hourglass, to illuminate the organ gallery. At the same height, there is a memorial stone for the laying of the first stone in the north wall, and next to it, two small windows are stacked for the ante-choir and the organ gallery. Furthermore, the ship is open on each side with five large round-arched windows, and in two of the three sections of the closure, there are also such windows. On the choir side, a consistory building was added in the 1930s.
The church space is covered by a wooden barrel vault with tie beams on corbel sets and wall posts resting on pilasters. The inventory is of simple elegance. The pulpit with carved festoons on corner posts and panels is located with a sounding board within the balustered baptismal screen, an ensemble from the 17th century. At the stairs, a rotatable copper baptismal font holder is attached to the font. Within the baptismal screen, there are also the oak benches of the church council. Almost identical lord's benches are arranged on both sides. They have raised backrests and crest pieces with as-yet-unknown coats of arms. The organ on the west gallery was built in 1917 by A.S.J. Dekker.
Church 1682, tower second half of the 12th century
Protestant
Pulpit, lord's benches, organ
