500 year historie
The Laurenskerk is the only remaining late Gothic building from the originally medieval Rotterdam.
The Grote- or Sint Laurenskerk, popularly known simply as the Laurenskerk or Laurens, has traditionally been the ‘main church’ of Rotterdam. Built between around 1449 and 1525, the Laurenskerk is the only remaining late Gothic building from medieval Rotterdam.
For many citizens, the Laurenskerk symbolizes the history of Rotterdam. In the Middle Ages, for example, people could buy Rotterdam city citizenship by contributing 3000 stones to the construction of the tower. The images of the badly hit church in the Second World War and its reconstruction afterwards became a symbol of the fate of the city and its inhabitants.
In 1300, when Rotterdam was not much more than a swampy piece of land with a handful of houses around a dam, there was already a church on the spot where the Laurenskerk now stands. The small settlement on the Rotte grows and flourishes and this church soon becomes too small. In 1449 it was decided to build a new, large church with an impressive tower. The Laurenskerk was built by and for the city of Rotterdam. The city council requires new residents to donate three thousand bricks for the construction of the church. In the beginning, the tower is still separate from the church because there is still a water flowing between the church and the tower.
1449
In 1461, the Schieland Water Board granted permission to fill in the Slikvaart, after which the church and tower were connected. Around August 1465, part of the church, the nave, was already consecrated and put into use. In 1550 the construction had progressed so far that two bells could be hung at the transition between the second and third sections. One of them is an old bell, namely the Laurencius bell, cast in 1461. This is 1.70 meters in size and weighs almost 3000 kilos. In 1525 the construction of the Laurenskerk was completed.
1525
The Reformation is the name for the new ideas about the Christian faith that are being expressed in the sixteenth century. Protestant ideas conquered large parts of Europe thanks to the introduction of the printing press. In the Netherlands, Protestantism becomes the new official religion. The Laurenskerk was spared during the Iconoclasm and proceeded calmly and deliberately. Valuable objects, such as church silver, are sold. Everything that reminds us of the Roman faith is removed: paintings, statues and the high altar. The Laurenskerk only became really empty in 1795 when the separation of church and state was introduced during the French occupation. All coats of arms and mourning boards with coats of arms will therefore be removed.
1572
In 1621, the tower was provided with an ornate pointed wooden crown by the Amsterdam architect Hendrick de Keyser. The wooden spire did not last long and was removed in 1646 due to wood rot. After the experiences with the wooden spire, it was decided to build a stone crown for the tower. In 1650, the tower was in danger of falling over because of the new heavy stone articulation. During the evening shift, a southwesterly storm blows and pieces of stone and lime tumble down. The Rotterdam master mason Claes Persoons has long piles driven next to the foundation of the tower. By placing horizontal beams in the base of the tower and securing them with wooden wedges, the tower is jacked back. The carillon with 35 bells by the famous bell founder François Hémony was installed in 1661.
1621
On 14 May 1940, during the Second World War, Rotterdam was heavily bombed, and the Laurenskerk caught fire and was badly damaged. The tower partially collapses. The Laurenskerk is one of the few buildings in Rotterdam to be rebuilt and restored to its original state. The first stone was laid on 19 May 1952, on ‘opbouwdag’, by Princess Juliana. The church was then used in parts. In 1959 the transept section was completed and in 1962 the choir section. On December 15, 1968, the restoration of the Laurenskerk is completed.
1940
The organs were not spared during the bombing. When it was decided in 1952 to rebuild the church, a new organ was built for each church section. First the transept organ was completed, then the choir organ and in 1973 the large main organ. This main organ is the largest organ in the Netherlands and one of the largest fully mechanical organs in the world. It has 85 stops and 7600 pipes. The largest pipes are 11 meters long. The organ is so large that the organist has his own room with piano and a toilet in the organ. The organ was built by the firm of Marcussen & Søn from Denmark. It was festively inaugurated on 8 December 1973 in the presence of Prince Claus.
1973
At the end of the seventies, there is a need for facility rooms. Architect Wim Quist is commissioned for an extension. He designs five cubes covered with black natural stone. The position and scale of the almost completely closed cubes connect to the side wall of the church to which they are connected by glass connectors. The cubes are also connected by glass intermediate members so that the church windows remain visible. The extension was completed in 1981 and, like the church itself, was also designated as a national monument. Because of their modern minimalist look, they are hated by some but loved by many because they do not compete with the church building itself.
1981
The Laurenskerk Foundation was established in 1989 and the church was given a multifunctional function. In addition to church services, events and cultural programming take place there. The proceeds of this will be used to finance the maintenance and opening of the monument. To this day, as the oldest building in Rotterdam, the Laurenskerk remains an important location for cultural events, concerts, commemorations and religious services. The building is a symbol of Rotterdam’s resilience and history.
Heden
