Heilige Willibrordus
Oldemarkt, NL
Early churches: The first church, the 15th-century Nicolaaskerk , still exists, but has been in Protestant hands since the Reformation. In the 17th and 18th centuries, masses were celebrated in houses and farms in the area. In 1804, the Catholics of Oldemarkt submitted a request to be allowed to build a church in the village, but it was not until 1828-1829 that this plan could be realised. This church, which stood on the site of the current one, was initially dedicated to St. Nicholas (according to Van der Aa in 1846) and only later in the 19th century to St. Willibrord. After it separated from Steggerda and Steenwijkerwold, Oldemarkt became an independent station in 1825 (according to Voets; Leeuwenberg mentions a deed of foundation from 1850). This church is listed as a National Monument of the Netherlands.