Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

The St. Josef Church is a Roman Catholic Church built in 1910 and expanded in 1932.

Charming neo-Gothic village church with tower.

Neo-Gothic church with tower. Original design by architect P. Soffers.

Large characteristic W. te Riele church with tower. The interior of the Roman Catholic St. Joseph church (1922, Wolter te Riele, extension 1927, renovation 1993) is split. The half on the choir side is still a church. The half on the tower is equipped for childcare.

On the site of the former Roman Catholic Chapel of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart . Damaged by war in 1944. Restored.

Roman Catholic St. Joseph Church from 1876. Sober single-nave neo-Gothic cruciform church with front tower. One of the seven churches that architect Pierre Cuypers built in Friesland. Interior largely from the construction period of the church. The windows were made by F. Nicolas. Single-manual organ with free-standing console from 1904, made by Joh. Hilboesen (Amsterdam).

Before the war, there were already plans to replace the previous neo-Gothic pilgrimage church from 1886 with a new building. The intention was to be able to put a new church into use in 1949 - then the Smakt would have been a place of pilgrimage for 250 years. However, these plans led to nothing. However, the rectorate of De Smakt was transferred to the Discalced Carmelites in 1949. The existing church was renovated. In 1965 it became clear that the old church was becoming too small. The new church would have to have at least 200 seats with wide aisles and plenty of standing room with a view to the pilgrims. Money had been collected for a new church since 1963. The pilgrims donated approximately 100,000 guilders in three years. In 1966, the Carmelites approached architect JJ Fanchamps to draw up the new building plans. The foundation stone was laid on 24 June 1968, after which contractor Koenen from Holthees completed the church, so that it could be blessed by Mgr. Beel on 11 March 1969. The new church is connected to the Carmelite monastery. De Smakt is the only place of pilgrimage in the Netherlands where St. Joseph is specifically venerated. Every year, around 20,000 people visit De Smakt, especially in the month of March, to venerate St. Joseph. The pilgrimage complex currently consists of the Joseph Chapel (1699), procession park (ca. 1900), the Pilgrim House (1910), the Carmelite monastery (1949) and the Joseph Church (1969). The Pilgrim House should have been demolished to create a better entrance and improve the view of the church, but this plan was not carried out due to a lack of finances. Something similar applied to the monastery: only half of it was built.

As of August 1, 2002, the St. Joseph parish, the OLVrouw Hemelvaart parish and the parish of the Blessed Sacrament were merged into one parish with the new name H. Antonius. Remarkable, because John the Baptist is the patron saint of Gouda. These three church buildings would remain, according to the reports at the time, and on Sunday, September 15, 2002, the first celebration of the new parish was held. But already in November 2002 it was announced that maintaining all three church buildings would be impossible for financial reasons. Which church would ultimately remain in use was not yet known at that time.

Heilige Jozef (Church of St Joseph) was built in 1933. It was designed by Hendrik W. Valk (1886-1973). It is listed as a National Monument of the Netherlands.

During the Reformation, the Catholics in this region were served by Jesuits from Nijkerk. Services were held in 't Veen in the 'Sandhuysken'. Later, the residents of 't Veen came under Hoogland and went to church in Hoogland (an hour and a quarter's walk) or Amersfoort (no less than 1 to 2 hours' walk). Around 1853, the desirability of establishing a separate parish for this part of Hoogland and Hoevelaken was first mentioned. Due to all kinds of difficulties, the plans for a separate parish could not be realised until 1917. The population of Hooglanderveen had increased in the meantime, partly due to the construction of the railway. This increase in families also caused problems with regard to catechism education for children who had to travel far too far for this.