Geertruidkerk
Ouwerkerk, NL
The history of Ouwerkerk probably begins in the 11th century. It is the oldest village on the then island of Duiveland. There is already a monastic community early on. The church was dedicated to Saint Gertrude in the 13th century. She is the patron saint of hospitals. She is also the patron saint of the poor and widows, of innkeepers, of pilgrims, travellers and road users; and of garden and field fruits. She is invoked against rat and mouse plagues. The current church has borne her name for a few years now: Geertruidkerk. A church with impressive dimensions was built between 1400 and 1560. It is probably the mother church of the later parishes of Duiveland. In the 15th century a church was built in Nieuwerkerk and with that both villages got their names. The first church was destroyed by the Spanish, only the choir and the 28 metre high tower survived. The tower and the church have been separated from each other since then. The tower also held up during the cyclone of 1933, but in 1945 the tower was blown up by the occupier and the church was badly damaged and had to be demolished. The church community then found shelter with the Reformed Church, who also had their church in the village at the time. That was the start of Samen op Weg. In the meantime we had become accustomed to it: people with a Protestant, a Reformed, a Roman Catholic or another background found a home with us. Between the war and the disaster of 1953 an emergency church was built. In the meantime people were thinking about building a new house of God. Shortly before the disaster there were still many meetings about it, but the disaster interrupted all plans. The population was evacuated and it was not until February 1954 that the church wardens could meet again. The current church was completed in 1956. The design was by architect FH Klokke from Middelburg. In our building you can see the symbolism of the (Jewish) Sukkah: a round shape with a hole in the roof. There is a view of heaven. And the light streams in on all sides. It is a joy to be here on Sundays and to celebrate with us.