Huize GERRA

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.

Huize "Gerra", VILLA, built in 1853 in Traditional forms as a residence for Bishop Johannes Zwijsen (1794-1877) of 's-Hertogenbosch. The name of the villa is derived from Zwijsen's then titular diocese. According to the ecclesiastical views of the time, the bishop was not permitted to reside in the seat of his bishopric. Therefore, a location was chosen on the southern side of the national highway between Tilburg and 's-Hertogenbosch, north of the then built-up area of Haaren and near the Grand Seminary of the Diocese of Den Bosch, built in 1837. The villa is essentially a somewhat large-scale rectory. In this house in 1863 an obscure, failed assassination attempt on Zwijsen's life was committed. In the period after Zwijsen's death, the property was used successively by the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, the White Fathers, the Brothers of Dongen and the Theresians. Shortly after the Second World War, Huize Gerra became the main building of the convent community of the Discalced Carmelite nuns. Beside and against the building, various extensions were then realised under the direction of architect J. Bedaux, including a chapel dating from 1957 on the west side. On the west side there is also a substantial lift shaft. This and the aforementioned extensions fall outside the protection afforded by the state.

Description.

The largely detached villa is surrounded on all sides by landscaped gardens. The building itself is partly cellared and has a rectangular ground plan with two and a half storeys. The building, which has three bays in width and six bays in length, has walls constructed with handmade brick, laid in English bond. The property has a hipped roof with slates laid in a mesh pattern with a small flat roof on top with four brick chimneys. The lowest storey is executed as a sort of basement on the north side and as an independent storey on the south side; this is cemented. This is caused by the level difference of the garden on the north and south sides. Via a flight of steps with ironwork dating from circa 1955, one reaches the entrance located on the first floor, which is framed with cement pilasters and has a drip moulding supported by volute-shaped consoles. Between these consoles the name GERRA is inscribed. Winged panel door with original handle and fittings. All windows are straight-headed, have a hardstone sill and are topped with a rooster-tail moulding. Almost all frames and sashes have been replaced by aluminium examples; the small glazing bars were omitted in the process. The property has a simple gutter and an undecorated frieze. On the south side, a roof dormer with a pulley has been inserted in the roof edge. Some windows with flap sashes have also been added to the roof section. On the south-eastern side there is the structural connection with a cloister section built in circa 1955 by architect J. Bedaux. On the west side, a substantial lift shaft was built in circa 1993. On this side there is also the structural connection to the chapel, likewise designed by architect J. Bedaux in 1957.

Internally, the property is largely symmetrically arranged. This is done on each storey by a central corridor running east-west. In the basement there are some small cellars on the north side under barrel-vaults, including a very extensive wine cellar with shelves. The basement also contains the kitchen area. On the upper storey, the corridor is more imposing and richly executed with, among other things, marble tiling and stucco ornamentation on the walls. On both sides of the corridor there are en-suite rooms with stucco-ornamented ceilings and fireplaces on the north side. The original internal window shutters are also still present. The second storey contains mainly the rooms for the sisters. Some of the originally larger rooms have been reduced in size for this purpose. The room, now divided, where the failed murder attempt on Zwijsen took place in 1863 is located on the southern side. The attic is used for recreation and storage of goods.

Valuation.

Huize Gerra is of general importance. It has cultural-historical and architectural-historical value as a particular illustration of spiritual development in the Netherlands from 1853; in particular the relationship with the former Grand Seminary of the Diocese of Den Bosch; the rise, flourishing and decline of priest training in the Netherlands can be well read from the building complex. It is an important representative of the typological development of the bishop's residence in general.

The property has ensemble values because of its situation connected to the development of the increasingly expanded building complex of the former Grand Seminary and as an important part of the organically developed convent complex of the Carmelite nuns. It is of importance because of the structural and visual integrity in relation to the landscaped surroundings and because of the high-quality architectural quality of the constituent parts. The property is of importance because of the architectural and typological rarity of such soberly executed villas and of the bishop's residence building type.