De Boomkerk

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

CHURCH, (R.C.) Sint Franciscus van Assisi. The church building, constructed predominantly in Neo-Romanesque style, was designed by P.J. Bekkers in 1910 and executed by contractors Nollens and Heymerdink in 1911. Characteristic of this building style is, among other things, the lofty corner tower with spandrels and detailing such as round-arch friezes and a dwarf gallery. References to Romano-Gothic are to be found in the rose window in the front facade with three portals, the application of rudimentary executed flying arches and triplet windows. The church was built as a replacement for the 'Boomkerk' in the Kalverstraat, a hidden chapel from 1730, remodelled in 1844, which had to make way for a large department store. Various reused components and church treasures still recall the predecessor of this church: two facade stones and in the interior for example several statues, two paintings and the Hilgers organ and two altars. The church building is located on the Admiraal de Ruyterweg, on the corner with the Van Gentstraat, where the tower is also situated. Via a connecting section on the northwest side the rectory is accessible.

Description

The church, constructed in brick English bond of the basilical type, has a ground plan in the form of a Latin cross. The gabled roofs, hipped roofs and conical roofs are partly covered with slate (Maas covering). The tower helmet rests on a square base; the crossing is fitted with an open wooden tower roof with octagonal spire. The eastern part is terminated with an apse, flanked by apsidioles of the side chapels on either side of the choir. A low connecting section links these with two identical half-round terminating annexes. All facades are terminated by an arch frieze and where it concerns a stepped gable this is executed as a climbing variant. In the roof surfaces of the nave, transepts and apse there is a roof dormer with shutter with attached gabled roof, furnished with a crest tile.

The front facade (southwest side) contains the entrance section with three portals beneath a rose window-furnished central aisle beneath a stepped gable. On the left is a side aisle terminating in a stepped gable and on the right a corner tower consisting of three storeys with tower helmet. The three round-arch portals have three coupled stepped gables and are closed off by ornamental wrought-iron gates. The stepped gables, with angels in the tile tableaux, are crowned by natural stone medallions which run downward into gutters and spouts. The basements of the wall sections between the portals, as well as the springing blocks of the arches are executed in natural stone and clamp masonry columns placed at the corners. The portal doors are furnished with ornamental wrought-iron fittings. The rose window, placed in the middle of the facade, of natural stone, is surrounded in the upper half by a drip moulding. The window is set back slightly in stepped brickwork and is supported by a natural stone block with small gutter. Below the stepped gable there are several light slots and a figure of Mary with Child beneath a canopy is placed. In the apex of the gable top there is an Saint Andrew's cross cut out in a block. An angle listel which terminates in a kind of pinnacle separates the nave from the left side aisle. This has above a natural stone string course three coupled round-arch windows beneath a straight arch. The facade has a statue of St. Antonius of Padua. The apex of the gable top here is furnished with a natural stone consecration cross. The left buttress at the corner has a comparable pinnacle to the aforementioned listel. The right corner tower has in the first storey a triplet window that rests on a common natural stone drip ledge. Above this is the statue of St. Franciscus van Assisi. Below the drip moulding, which continues from the springing of the stepped gable of the adjacent central aisle and closes off the first tower storey, there are three light slots. From the second storey onward the four, mutually identical sides of the tower are completely clear. This storey contains three round-arch-shaped spandrels with a round-arch window at the top and below a light slot. At the location of the drip moulding there is a clock face in a diamond-shaped field set with glazed tiles. The zone with three coupled half-round terminating louvres, in which an openwork balustrade is incorporated, is above furnished with a tile mosaic. A deep round-arch frieze closes off the storey. The tower helmet adjoins a pediment with three blind recesses and is crowned by a cross with weathervane. Bell chamber with bells consisting of a bell by Petit and Bros. Edelbrock/Eijsbouts, 1911, and two modern bells. Mechanical tower clockwork, B. Eijsbouts, 1933, later furnished with electric winding. The left side facade (northwest side) has an apsidiole with five lancet windows and in the side aisle triplet windows. In the second and third bay there is a facade stone below a triplet window from the older church of 1730. The buttresses terminate in a pinnacle on which a rudimentary flying arch rests. Between the flying arches, in the clerestory are triplet windows and round-arch friezes. In the transept arm five lancet windows placed on a common drip ledge are visible beneath a triplet window. The side walls of the transept likewise contain triplet windows. In the angle of the transept and the choir there is a side chapel covered with a tent roof, with on the side of the apse an apsidiole, followed by a connecting section (with zinc roof) and annex with surrounding hipped roof. On the north side this extension has a much smaller apsidiole. The connecting section has an iron-banded door, the annex round-arch windows. The back facade (northeast side) has the high apse with its cap set against the end wall of the central nave. The facade of the apse is subdivided by listel strips into five spandrels each with a stained-glass round-arch window. Above this it is closed off by a dwarf gallery on a natural stone band. Below, a narrow ambulatory covered with a zinc lean-to roof adjoins the apse. The right side facade is nearly identical to the left side facade. The end wall of the south transept contains on the ground floor an entrance section with iron-banded double doors beneath a lintel with blind arch field. The slanting sides beneath the portal terminating as a stepped gable is furnished with lattice pattern.

Interior

The three-aisled interior has masonry groin vaults and a masonry dome above the crossing. The side aisles are separated from the central nave by half-round arcades on stratified pillars. The organ gallery forms the first bay, the nave the following two. The crossing is (probably) two bays, the choir one bay with apse. Both transepts have one bay, the side aisles terminate in apses. The nave, the choir bay and the transept arms have groin vaults, the crossing and side aisles masonry dome vaults. The crossing pillars are, like the other pillars of the nave, square in plan. Against the inner wall of the apse colonettes are placed which terminate in cube capitals. In the brickwork red and yellow brick alternate with each other. The original bench arrangement on timber framing is partly preserved. The floor contains a pattern of red, brown and black glazed tiles. The communion rails are still present. Of the original church furnishings, five confessionals are furthermore still present. The high altar dates from the time of construction, the altars in the chapels on either side of the choir are from the hidden chapel. In the baptism chapel on the west side is the baptismal font. Above the entrance is on the organ gallery with masonry balustrade, the two-manual organ, made in 1774 by P. Hilgers. In 1816 remodelled by L. van den Brink. In 1959 restored by Verschueren Orgelbouw and extended with a free pedal. The gallery, with coffered ceiling, rests on black natural stone columns. Two side altars (1st half 18th century); three statues from the former high altar: rising Christ, St. Bernardinus and St. Lodewijk (first half eighteenth century); a Madonna statue and a statue of St. Antonius (17th century and from the courtyard of the former hidden chapel?); a painting depicting the Ascension of Mary (1st half 18th century) and a painting depicting the adoration of the shepherds (1722 by N. van Bloemen); carved fragment of the furnishing of the former hidden chapel, among other things with two angels (1st half eighteenth century) in the baptism chapel. The pulpit is situated on the upper floor.

Valuation

The Boomkerk with associated older components from 1911 is, on grounds of cultural and architectural-historical value of general interest, preserved as an intact example of an early 20th century crossing basilica in neo-romanesque style and, more specifically, as the successor of a Roman Catholic hidden chapel. The church has urban-planning value on account of the distinctive corner tower.