Familiegraf Verduijnen

English translation

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Description

Introduction.

FAMILY GRAVE of the noble family Michiels van Verduynen located in the southwestern corner of the otherwise unprotected churchyard on the south side of the St. Landricuskerk in the centre of Echt. It is a GRAVE MONUMENT in the form of a neo-gothic pinnacle on a GRAVE VAULT. The family grave was built around 1900 on the orders of the baroness of Michiels van Verduynen to replace a grave vault which was situated along the old Kerkgracht. Twelve members of this family are buried in the vault, with the last burial taking place in 1952. The monument has been preserved in reasonably good condition but is missing the original wrought-iron fencing with hard stone corner columns.

Description.

The FAMILY GRAVE consists of a grave vault on a square ground plan, the walls of which project above ground level as a platform for the memorial in the form of a substantial neo-gothic pinnacle. The four walls are constructed in reddish-brown brick laid in a cross and chain bond and partly provided with a plastered plinth. The top of the vault is covered with hard stone and was originally surrounded by wrought-iron fencing decorated with four- and three-part motifs and fixed to hard stone fence posts on the corners which have also disappeared. On the hard stone vault plate are two octagonal foot plates with bevelled tops, of which the upper foot plate is smaller. Above this is the stepped and on the top sides profiled base of the pinnacle, with a carved family coat of arms in the front of the upper section. The polygonal shaft of the pinnacle is decorated with narrow, herringbone arch-shaped casements containing pointed three-part motifs. The spire is fitted with crockets and is crowned by a cross flower. The front wall (southwest) has corner pilasters and is closed at the top by a projecting band with dentil decoration. On this side the grave vault is accessible via a flight of stairs with brick steps, between inward and outward-angled retaining walls which are finished at the top with a roll moulding. The pointed arch-shaped portal has a hard stone threshold and is surrounded by sloping rebates with archivolts executed in red moulded stone. The wooden double door is constructed from vertical pieces held together with straps with wrought-iron decorative hinges and has a round ventilation grille in each door leaf.

The INTERIOR of the vault consists of a vaulted vestibule provided with a floor covered with tiles and a wall with compartments, behind which the graves are situated. The graves are provided with stone grave slabs with the names of the deceased.

Valuation.

The FAMILY GRAVE Michiels van Verduynen has architectural-historical value and represents general interest as a well-preserved and intact example of a grave monument for a noble family from the last quarter of the nineteenth century. The monument stands out for its high aesthetic qualities, including in particular the execution of the memorial in the form of a neo-gothic pinnacle and the well-preserved grave vault with a fine door designed in the neo-gothic style. The family grave has ensemble values as part of the churchyard of the nationally protected medieval St. Landricuskerk and plays a defining role in the scene by virtue of its size and appearance. The monument possesses cultural-historical value as a special expression of a cultural and a typological development, including through the use of an isolated pinnacle as a memorial. The grave monument is historically connected with the nearby Huys Verduynen by virtue of its function and is of particular importance because of the historically significant persons buried in the vault.