On a small terp, tucked between the trees, stands the Vitus Church of Wyns. Its orange-red roof tiles and red monastery bricks make it a strikingly colourful building. Those red bricks are remarkable in themselves, as around 1200 church builders usually used yellow-mottled bricks. The large round-arched windows in the walls were only added at the end of the 18th century. The tower was built a little later than the church itself. Its lower section has been reinforced, while the upper part was renewed with a saddle roof.
Inside, the church is covered by a wooden barrel vault from the 16th century. It likely replaced an earlier stone vault, traces of which may still be visible in the thickened choir walls. About a century later, the black-and-gold pulpit and the baptism rail were probably added. Also worth seeing is the matching organ from 1899, built by Bakker & Timmenga of Leeuwarden.
Extra information
The Sint-Vitus Church stands in the centre of the small terp village of Wyns, on a churchyard surrounded by trees. The nave and choir were built around 1200 of red monastery bricks, which is unusual for the period. The church combines the nave and the slightly narrower, higher choir beneath one continuous roof, with a five-sided choir closure at the east end. The church was expanded and altered over time: large round-arched windows were inserted in the 18th century, while the west tower, added shortly after the church was built, was later renewed at the top. Inside, the 16th-century wooden barrel vault still defines the space, and the interior is enriched by 17th-century furnishings, an 1899 organ, and a display case with archaeological and building finds.
Style: Late Romanesque
Date: around 1200; tower: 13th century
Denomination: Protestant
Highlights: pulpit, baptism rail, organ
