St. John's Basilica

The church was completed in 1493. In later centuries the church was rebuilt several times.
Although the vast majority of the Oosterhout population remained Roman Catholics during the Eighty Years' War, St. John's Church came into Protestant hands after the Peace of Münster in 1648. In 1809, the church returned to Catholic hands by a decision of Louis Napoleon. The condition was that the Catholics paid 7,000 guilders as a contribution for a new Protestant church building on the Rulstraat.

The church was thoroughly restored and rebuilt in 1881-1883 by architect P.J.H. Cuypers. The stone vaults were repaired and the church was widened with two aisles. There were also major restorations in the years 1975 to 1977 and in 2000. The church was never completely finished.
On the occasion of the parish's 700th anniversary and the completion of the renovation, the church was elevated to basilica minor by Pope Paul VI in 1977.

Wim Blankers