Grafkapel(H), Jonkheer Ramweg bij 18

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

The neogothic FUNERARY CHAPEL was built in 1864 after a design by architect H.J. van den Brink (1816-1883) in the centre of the Roman Catholic cemetery, to the north of the adjacent H. Michaëlkerk, designed by A. Tepe, which is protected at national level. The leaded glass windows with biblical scenes were executed in 1883 by J.B. Capronnier from Brussels. The patrons were Franciscus Joannes baron Van Wijckerslooth van Weerdesteijn (1792-1864) and his wife Charlotte princesse de la Tremouille et de Thouars (1825-1879), who had purchased a plot of land in the cemetery in 1863, and whose coats of arms are displayed in the archivolt at the entrance of the funerary chapel.

Description

A chapel with the ground plan form of a Greek cross, consisting of one storey under a cruciform gabled roof covered with scale-shaped slate (Rens roof). On the ridge ends of the top gables are placed natural stone cross finials and a natural stone cross (south-west side). Above a hard stone plinth, the facades are constructed in grey brickwork (stretcher bond) and finished below the eaves with a dentil moulding. The top gables are crowned with natural stone, saddle-backed coping stones, below which a combined dentil and sawtooth band is mortared. The bases of the top gables have a natural stone console with pear-ball motif. Against the corners of the four top gables, twice-chamfered buttresses are mortared diagonally. The chamfering is finished by means of a natural stone drip moulding with water-hollow. The main entrance to the chapel is located in the south-west facade. This consists of a natural stone, moulded pointed-arch archivolt, in which a arched double lath door (bead sections) is set. The wrought-iron hinges have splayed curl forms with leaf motifs. In the archivolt above the door are two climbing lions, bearing the coat of arms of the patrons of the Van Wijckerslooth van Weerdensteijn family. Above it in the gable top, the text is engraved in a natural stone trefoil with triangles: `Burial site of the family Van Wijckerslooth Van Weerdensteijn Schalkwijk'. In the north-east facade is an arched entrance to the vault, for which a sunken terrace with a hard stone staircase is located. The entrance is closed with a railing. Above it is a large pointed-arch window with leaded glass frames and tracery with quatrefoils and trefoils. In the north-west and south-east facades are smaller pointed-arch windows with leaded glass frames. The interior of the chapel is in largely original condition. The walls are whitewashed and the floor is laid with tiles bearing lily motifs and circles. At the corners are bundled pillars crowned by natural stone capitals with curled acanthus leaves from which the natural stone ribs run across the mortared vaults. Below the window in the north-east cross arm is a sandstone altar with three short columns with flat marble shaft and fresco paintings in the pointed-arch spandrels. The wooden screen in front of the altar is closed with copper-coloured carved work, consisting mainly of flower and leaf motifs and the Lamb of God on the central, round panel. The leaded glass windows with biblical scenes by J.B. Capronnier depict the Resurrection of Christ, the Raising of the Daughter of Jairus and the Raising of Lazarus. In the chapel stand two sculptures by the Belgian sculptor Joseph Tuerin, depicting Saint Anna from 1861 and Saint Cornelius from 1857.

Valuation

The funerary chapel is of general importance on account of its cultural and architectural historical value as an example of a neogothic funerary chapel from the third quarter of the 19th century, which is in good condition both inside and outside with regard to main form, material use and details. Moreover, the object is important as an expression of aristocratic funerary culture among Roman Catholics in the 19th century. It has ensemble value as a striking and visually distinctive object in the cemetery, situated near the H. Michaëlkerk designed by A. Tepe.