St. Agathakerk

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, in Dutch. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

Description

Introduction

Roman Catholic St. Agatha Church, consecrated in 1924 and built to the design of architects J.Th.J. and P. Cuypers. The centrally planned building, consisting of a dominant octagonal dome and a circle of radial chapels likewise vaulted with domes, was constructed in the years 1922-24 in an architectural style inspired by Byzantine and early Christian architecture. The church, with an older residential house (at the time of the construction of St. Agatha designated as a rectory - previously protected under monument number 9445) and the surrounding church garden enclosed by walls along the Bloksteeg, is situated in the garden originally belonging to the house. The original interior of the church was largely designed by L.T.C. Lourijsen. In 1965 the liturgical layout was modified, with the altar placed centrally beneath the main dome on a raised platform and the church pews renewed. The organ, probably made in the twenties by the organ builder Bern. Pels and Zonen in Alkmaar, has no monumental value. In the church there is an early sixteenth-century oak wooden image of Mary with child on the crescent moon, possibly from the Dutch Reformed Church in Beverwijk.

Description

A church of light brown brick with decorative brickwork under an assembly of dome roofs covered with red tiles and finials, executed in centrally planned form and based on a regular octagon with a circle of multi-sided chapels. In the base of the main dome, three recessed circular windows are incorporated in each side within a recessed wall plane, separated by wall buttresses. In the facades of the three eastern chapels oval windows likewise with stained glass. The facades of the radial chapels are articulated by three higher-placed rectangular windows tapering upwards within a recessed wall plane. The windows are filled with stained glass from the period of construction. The western entrance side comprises an expressively designed annex covered by two smaller domes with on each side a round-arched portal beneath a gabled roof consisting of a porch with three steps, a double carved wooden door with calf and round-arched field and perpendicularly placed projecting wall elements that bend inward halfway. Various lower adjoining ancillary and entrance rooms, including the sacristy bordering the eastern chapel, all with cross windows and carved doors, provided on the exterior with expressively designed hardware, from the period of construction. The high parabolic main dome is provided with a - raised in 1958 - crown beneath an owl-shaped spire with roof cross, originally executed with a parabolic crown with a low lantern.

Internally this brick shell dome is supported by a ring of reinforced concrete, marked at the top with a block-tooth cornice, which rests on eight tapering polished granite columns with geometrically worked natural stone capitals reminiscent of crystal forms. The columns are interconnected by parabolic dividing arches. The vault spandrels are decorated with dentil friezes that run over the shell. The dome with groins emphasised by radiating dark-coloured bricks and passing into triangular shells, is subdivided into 24 vault surfaces, each containing a round window with stained glass with geometric subdivision and simple colouration. Four large side chapels the width of a side of the octagon of the central dome are located on the principal axes and enclose two smaller chapels with an ancillary room, all connected to the church space. A staircase in the western dome leads to the organ gallery. On the east side the raised choir where there is among other things a passage to the vestry room. The red tile floors in the choir, the Mary chapel and the baptism chapel with tiles laid in cross forms in black and white are original. These three chapels are provided with marble wall panelling, mosaics in neo-Byzantine style and oval figurative stained-glass windows with brick surrounds. The walls of the choir are separated by multi-sided columns merging into pillars that support the arch ribs. The most important interior components of the church, the main altar (1925), the pulpit (1931), windows (1925), mosaics (1925-27) and stations of the cross (c. 1925) were designed by Lambert Lourijsen, partly in a style influenced by the symbolism of Jan Toorop, partly in neo-Byzantine style. The main altar executed in marble and copper, made in the Jorna workshop, with a cylindrical tabernacle crowned by a cross is decorated with copper reliefs with standing angels and the Lamb on the Book with the Seven Seals. The wooden pulpit with round basin and in open-hammered copperwork the four evangelists' symbols and names is supported by three marble columns. The copper stair rail is decorated with stylised floral motifs. In the oval stained-glass windows representations of the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove and angels with symbols referring to the sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. The small mosaics in the spandrels at the windows likewise refer to this (censer, fountain with three streams, cross with palm fronds and oil cruet with olive branches, fish with breadbasket and pelican with young). Below are mosaic friezes with biblical text in gilded letters. The mosaic behind the high altar depicts a wall tapestry, on the left and right side the walls are decorated with mosaic representations of making music and praying angels. A signature in the angel mosaic to the left of the main altar shows the letters P.S.B., possibly referring to the mosaic execution by the brothers Beier in Cologne. In the Mary and baptism chapel a mosaic with Mary and child and a Christ mosaic, the latter not by the hand of Lourijsen, are placed. The wall paintings in these chapels were made by P. Gerrits in 1949. The remaining chapels have above a base of vertically laid black bricks a glazed tile wall panelling consisting of square yellow tiles separated by green brick bands in vertical planes. Here between the stained-glass windows with floral motifs and the tile wall panelling panel-painted stations of the cross are placed. The panel paintings made by Lourijsen in Symbolist style are flanked by side panels with a lily branch, sunflower, vine branch or cross representation. The marble baptismal font with cover in neo-Baroque form, signed 'GB Brom Utrecht', dates from the third quarter of the 19th century. Furthermore three plaster figures representing St. Agatha, St. Joseph and St. Antonius of Padua and two wooden confessionals with carved hood with figurative representation (blessing) and floral motifs, in the doors stained glass.

Valuation

Monumental domed church by J.Th.J. and P. Cuypers with original interior and associated interior components, designed by Lambert Lourijsen of general importance for its architectural and art and cultural-historical value whereby in various ways renewal of the Catholic ecclesiastical (architectural) art was pursued through combination on the one hand of Expressionist elements and on the other hand of elements inspired by early Christian (architectural) art in both the architecture and the furnishings. Important work from the oeuvre of Jos and Pierre Cuypers as a pure centrally planned building with a rarely occurring dome-covered chapel circle and richly decorated exterior and interior. Also of importance because of the striking silhouette value of the high main dome with lantern surrounded by a lower dome circle.