Bovenkerk, Kampen

About

The Bovenkerk (English: Upper Church; also known as the Church of St. Nicholas) is a large, Gothic church and the most striking element on the skyline of Kampen, Overijssel, Netherlands. The interior of the church contains an early-Renaissance choir screen, a stone pulpit and a monumental organ. The church has 1,250 seats. It is a Reformed church.

The Construction: The construction of the church took place in several phases:

Construction of a Romanesque church (12th century) Construction of Early Gothic church (last quarter of 13th century) Church gets a basilica choir (last quarter of 14th century) Plan for a basilica nave fails (early 15th century) The construction is completed (second half 15th century)

Graves: A common practice for old historic churches was to bury the dead under the Church. The Bovenkerk is no exception to this practice, where famous Dutch persons originating from Kampen are buried. One of them is Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634), one of the first landscape painters of the 17th-century Dutch school, specialized in painting the Netherlands in winter. Another is Jan Bantjes (1700-1779) and Jacomina Leussen (1707-1770) who were wealthy landowners, shipowners...