Sint Antonius van Paduakerk

English translation

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Description

Introduction

Roman Catholic PARISH CHURCH "Sint Antonius van Padua", built in 1913-1914 on the site of the completely demolished medieval church according to the design of architect W.A.M. te Riele Gzn. (1867-1937). To the left of the triumphal arch in the choir, the foundation stone has been set into the wall with the inscription: "PRIMUS LAPIS AoDi MCMXIII". W. TE RIELE, like his father G. te Riele, built mainly in Gelderland and Overijssel, initially in a neogothic style related to the churches of Cuypers and Tepe, and later in a more personal style with influences from brick expressionism. The Millingen church belongs to his earlier work and is a three-aisled cruciform basilica in neogothic style.

The free-standing church building is located in the centre of Millingen aan de Rijn and is situated at St. Antoniusplein with the choir oriented towards Heerbaan. The high bell tower against the northern transept arm is placed in the sightline of St. Willibrordstraat. In the immediate surroundings of the church are the other - unprotected - components of the parish complex, such as the rectory of 1891 (Heerbaan 101), the sexton's dwelling with flanking church toilets (St. Antoniusplein 2) and the cemetery (Chopinstraat 7). In 1913 the church board under the leadership of parish priest M. Graat decided to replace the medieval church with a completely new building. Execution was in the hands of the brothers Koenders from Enschede for an amount of approximately 110,000 guilders. Acceptance of a financial contribution from the so-called Grewenfonds carried the obligation to dedicate the church to Sint Antonius van Padua. Only in 1926 was the church consecrated. The church building owes its nickname, "cathedral of the Laag", to its size and capacity of approximately 1100 seats. The uppermost section of the bell tower was destroyed by war violence in March 1945 and was rebuilt in simplified form in 1954-1955 by B.W.A. Goddijn. Recently the church building has been completely restored. This is commemorated by a memorial stone to the right of the triumphal arch in the choir: "RENOVATA AEDIS AoDi MVM".

Description

CHURCH BUILDING of the cruciform basilica type with three-aisled nave and transept, a choir with lower side chapels and a narrower five-sided choir termination with ambulatory and flanking boys' and girls' chapel (now respectively youth centre and day chapel). The high bell tower is located above the Antoniuskapel (now baptismal chapel) between the transept and the northern side choir. Between the transept and the southern side choir is the sacristy.

The continuous gabled roof of the central nave and choir is crossed by the hipped roof of the transept. The ridge line of both roofs is at the same height. The intersection is marked by a low octagonal spire with owl-shaped finial and four oval windows. In the roof surfaces are small roof dormers (four-paned casement window, attachment with lead finial). The narrower and lower choir termination has a gabled roof with half-hipped end. The side aisles of nave and transept and the side choirs are provided with lean-to roofs. The hipped roofs of the sacristy and the former boys' and girls' chapel are provided with multiple attachments. The flanking stair turrets of the west facade and the bell tower on the north side both have an indrawn octagonal spire with a wrought-iron cross. All roofs are covered with slate in Maas bond and drain via rain gutters on worked corbels. The ridge ends are marked by lead finials or wrought-iron crosses.

The brick facades with tuff stone are laid in English bond and are finished with a combined drip and dentil-course cornice. In line with the window sills is a drip moulding. The facades are articulated by buttresses which taper twice and are covered with slate in Maas bond. On the corners the buttresses are placed diagonally. With the exception of the west facade, all facades at the height of the window arches have a pointed arch frieze. The arch fields of this frieze are provided with a cream-coloured plaster layer with a cross motif incorporated in red and black tiles. Most of the recessed window openings are closed with pointed arches and have inset jambs. All wall openings of the sacristy and the former boys' and girls' chapel are, by contrast, closed with round arches. The windows are fitted with stained glass.

The symmetrically arranged FRONT FACADE at St. Antoniusplein has in the centre a broad pointed arch-shaped portal with gable-wall canopy. In the middle of the portal is a straight-closed double door (originally two segmental arch-shaped double doors). The sides each have a segmental arch-shaped door. The doors are fitted with simple wrought-iron fittings. The voussoir of the pointed arch also serves as a pedestal for a stone image of Antonius with child. Above the image a canopy in neogothic style is mounted. The portal is flanked on either side by a diagonally placed buttress with pinnacle. Pedestal, canopy and pinnacles are executed in red sandstone. To the left and right of the portal is a small lancet window. Above the portal is a large round arch-shaped wall field with a pointed arch window with brick tracery. The tall lancet windows on either side are placed in a pointed arch-shaped wall field. The front facade is flanked on the south side by an octagonal stair turret with indrawn spire. The tower is provided up to the eaves with narrow vertical windows (arranged in steps climbing upwards). Only the uppermost section has in each side a pointed arch (blind) window. The recessed wall openings in the RIGHT SIDE FACADE (south side) are closed with pointed arches; mostly executed as lancet windows whilst the middle window of each bay of the clerestory, transept arm and choir termination is provided with brick tracery. At the height of the relieving arches the already described decorative pointed arch frieze is applied. The sacristy against the southern side choir counts one storey with hipped roof on rectangular plan. The recessed wall openings (five coupled windows and an entrance with two flanking windows) are closed with round arches. The LEFT SIDE FACADE (north side) is largely identical to the right side facade, but moreover has a projecting baptismal chapel with tent roof at the far right, a portal with gable-wall canopy and segmental arch-shaped double door in the end wall of the transept, and a bell tower between the transept and the northern side choir. The tower is subdivided by drip mouldings into three sections. The first section on square plan has in two sides a three-sided apsidal projection with lancet windows and slate roof. The octagonal stair turret against the east wall of the bell tower is related to that of the front facade. The flat second tower section has following the drip moulding several coupled lancet windows. One storey higher each side has a narrow vertical slot. The (renewed) octagonal bell chamber has rectangular sound openings with wooden louvres and on the four corners a brick turret with tent roof. The east-oriented REAR FACADE is formed by a high five-sided choir termination and children's chapels on either side. The facade articulation of the choir termination consists of buttresses with between them tall pointed arch windows with brick tracery and a closing pointed arch frieze. The gable top of the choir is crowned by a stone cross with flanking pinnacles of brickwork. Below this is a field with a Christ monogram with crown in terracotta. The choir ambulatory has below the roof edge three round windows. The flanking children's chapels count one storey with hipped roof on rectangular plan. The coupled round arch windows are taller at the locations of the gable tops with attachments.

The originally polychrome painted CHURCH INTERIOR is now plastered white. The current stencil painting in the vault fields is partly not original. In some places the bricks are left exposed, such as at the pilaster strips, the chevron pattern in the pointed arches, the vault ribs and the frieze with recessed crosses below the windows. The wall structure consists of round columns with octagonal flat capitals, pointed arch transverse arches, a low clerestory and star vaults. The bays are separated from each other by pointed transverse arches which rest on two-sided brick pilaster strips. The FLOOR PLAN of the church consists of a shallow entrance bay with gallery, a three-aisled nave of two bays, a crossing with transept arms each of one bay, a slightly raised choir of one and a half bays and a narrower five-sided choir termination with ambulatory. The ambulatory connects the former children's chapels with each other. The seating plan in the transept is rotated a quarter turn because the high altar is now positioned in the crossing. Between the northern transept arm and the northern side chapel is an Antoniuskapel, now arranged as a baptismal chapel, above which on the first floor of the bell tower is a gallery. The floor in the chapel comes from the choir of the old church. The side aisles decrease in width towards the choir and the main entrance (centralising effect through seating plan). Next to the sacristy is a confessional for the deaf with double doors.

The church building has various INTERIOR ELEMENTS from the old church (mostly 19th century) and many elements from shortly after construction (c. 1914-1920). Coming from the old church are, among others, a black marble baptismal font with copper cover (mid 19th century) and an 18th century oak pulpit with four evangelist busts on the bowl, on later base. In the years following construction the furnishings were supplemented with, among others, marble altars, stained glass windows and stone figures of saints. The slightly raised neogothic high altar (1917) consists of a marble base (reliefs with fish/bread basket, Abraham and Melchizedek), a copper tabernacle door (two angels with text boards) and a wooden Calvary group above it. The marble communion rail consists of two equal parts each with three fields on the front with copper relief plates (from left to right: deer at the water spring, last supper, lamb on book, pelican, manna rain, deer at the water spring). In the choir, the side chapels and the choir termination are 17 stained glass windows from c. 1914. The depictions of the windows in the choir termination allude to the seven sacraments. The windows are executed by glass painter W. Derix (Goch and Kevelaer) under mention of the donors. Furthermore there are four stained glass windows in the northern side chapel dedicated to Mary (David on the throne, coronation of Mary, birth of Christ, presentation of Mary) and six windows in or near the southern side chapel dedicated to Joseph (the Samaritan woman, the apparition of the Sacred Heart, let the children come to me, Peter, James the Greater, the resurrection). In the choir termination and in the crossing are ten stone figures of saints with canopy probably executed by Van Bokhoven from Den Bosch in neogothic style (1915-1920). The Way of the Cross stations in the side aisles and transept are executed as polychrome painted relief depictions with inscription in segmental arch-shaped recesses. Furthermore in the church are various pine doors with panel inserts.

Valuation

CHURCH BUILDING of 1913-1914 dedicated to St. Antonius van Padua.

- Of architectural historical value as a good example of a parish church from 1913-1914 in neogothic style. The design stands out for its large scale, the particular building volume and silhouette (remarkable are, among others, the positioning of the high bell tower against the northern transept arm, the separate children's chapels for girls and boys on either side of the choir termination and a confessional specially for the deaf), the careful detailing in the exterior design and a rich but partially altered interior, with, among others, the pulpit and baptismal font coming from the earlier church. Characteristic for the work of the architect and the development of church building in the first quarter of the twentieth century is the centralising effect of the floor plan. The Millingen Antoniuskerk is a characteristic and important work within the oeuvre of architect W. TE RIELE and further the most important representative of his earlier work in the province of Gelderland. The most striking alterations in relation to the original situation are the reconstruction in simplified form of the uppermost tower section in 1954-1955, the positioning of an altar in the crossing, the alteration of the seating plan and the overpaint of the polychrome interior painting.

- Of urban planning value as an essential part of the historically developed centre of Millingen aan de Rijn, in which the church has ensemble value in relation to the surrounding buildings of the Roman Catholic parish complex (rectory, sexton's dwelling, church toilets, Sacred Heart image, cemetery) and is of particular significance for the appearance of the village and surroundings due to its size, the striking silhouette and the unusual positioning of the high bell tower on the north side in the sightline of an important street.

- Of cultural historical value as a special expression of the religious consciousness of the Roman Catholic community in the locality; an ambitious building project for a relatively small municipality in the first quarter of the twentieth century.