Saint-Lievens Monstertower

The Sint-Lievensmonstertoren is a 62-meter-high tower in Zierikzee in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is also referred to as 'the fat tower' in the local vernacular of the residents of Zierikzee.

Construction of the tower began in 1454. The likely designer of the tower was the Mechelen master builder Andries I Keldermans. Construction continued under the leadership of his son Antoon I and grandson Rombout II Keldermans. Characteristic of the Keldermans family's style are the rich decorations of the tower.

The tower
It is assumed that the work on the foundation took about 25 years. The city fire of 1466, which affected, among other things, the western part of the church, caused delays.

The size of the base of the tower is 16 x 16 meters (including the buttresses 24.5 by 24.5 meters). For comparison: the base of the highest church tower in the Netherlands, the buttress-free Domtoren in Utrecht, measures 19.5 by 19.5 meters.

Because the construction pit was not allowed to cause damage to the church, the tower was not built directly attached to the church. Although provision was made for a later connection, there remained a virtually undeveloped open space. The tower was constructed with several million bricks. They came from the vicinity of Dordrecht, Rotterdam, and Gouda, among other places.

The exterior of the tower was clad with expensive natural stone. The small white blocks of sand-laden limestone come from the region north and east of Brussels. This stone is called Brabant white stone.

In a period of about 30 years, the tower was completed in its current form, that is, up to the first gallery. Construction was halted around 1510 due to a deterioration in the local economy. There were insufficient funds to complete the tower. This was because the ships carrying materials had reportedly sunk. The cost of the tower, as it was ultimately realized, amounted to approximately 100,000 guilders, a very high amount of money for that time.

It was assumed that the tower should have been about 180 to 200 meters tall. New calculations of the tower's crown design show that it should have been about 130 meters high. That is taller than the Utrecht Domtoren.

In the end, the unfinished tower was given an overhanging cornice. On top of that, a bell tower with an emergency roof was built. This was completed in the years of the 16th century. Over time, the tower lost much of its beauty. Numerous decorations disappeared, especially in the 18th century. The wooden crown of the tower was dismantled in 1835. In 1839/1840, a new roof was built. In addition, a cornice and a balustrade were added.

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