St Petrus Church
The Petrus church of Jouswier, which stands on a mound, has a sober interior. It was built in 1557 to replace the first church, which dated from the thirteenth century. The church is built with the bricks from the old monastery.
About this building
Jouswier used to be home to a few stinsen (a type of villa or stronghold particular to Friesland), but they were demolished before 1800. The St Petruskerk is located northeast of Dokkum and southeast of Metslawier. The church is lined with trees and hardly visible from the road in the summer. The church is built with used monastery bricks on an old foundation and consists of a shallow nave, which is closed on the east side in an unusual manners. The nave was plastered until 1978. In 1876, according to the church council minutes, the church and tower were plastered white with an edge of blue-black at the base. During the restoration the church was stripped of the plaster again. In 1832 the church received completely new glass. The organ is a nineteenth-century organ of the Gebr, Adema. The church, although used heavily, can still be visited; interested parties can collect the key at the key address. The church is available for mourning and wedding services, and is managed by the Oostrum-Jouswier Local Commission. Every now and then concerts take place at the Opus 3 music school in Dokkum, with atmospheric candlelight, because the church is not connected to the electricity grid.
