Maria Church

In a list of monasteries from the beginning of the 10th century, Westerwijtwerd is mentioned under the name "Widuvurd." The name is later written as Wietwerd and finally Westerwijtwerd, where the distinguished family of Ewsum built a church dedicated to Mary.

About this building

Due to the church people came to live nearby, and thanks to this the village exists.

The faith in the building is reflected in the interior: it is very atmospheric because of several murals, and on the north wall there are depicted two camp fighters. The small tuft of hair of both fighters points to a noble origin, as the shorter the hair around the harvest time, the higher the status of birth.

The church no longer maintains regular services, but it is a beautiful location for cultural activities such as concerts, exhibitions, etc.

Other nearby buildings

Damstee

Interesting modern church without a tower.

Hoeksteenkerk

Characteristic, large, Reformed church building with tower. Expansion in 1924. This church is now called Hoeksteenkerk and is one of the two church buildings of the Protestant Community of Middelstum (PKN) (the other church building is the historic Hippolytus ChurchThis church is listed as a National Monument of the Netherlands.

Church in a park

Hippolytus Church

This 15th century brick cross church is one of the finest examples of late Gothic church building in Groningen. Tufa stone can occasionally be seen in the walls, most likely part of the old Romanesque church.