St. James's Church

The Great or St. James Church, along with the Binnenhof, is one of the oldest buildings in The Hague. Sources indicate that there was already a (probably wooden) church on this site in the 13th century. The hexagonal shape of the tower is unique in the Netherlands. It is believed that the octagonal tower of the abbey church in Middelburg, with which St. James was connected at the time, served as an example. In the early history of the church, it was only used for Catholic services. With the Iconoclasm in 1566, this changed, although the pulpit with its Renaissance woodwork, the coat of arms boards, and two windows by the Gouda glaziers Dirck and Wouter Crabeth still recall the Catholic period.
The church was originally built as a cruciform church. However, between 1434 and 1455, the nave was expanded with side aisles, causing the cruciform shape to be lost. This enlargement made St. James the first example of the Hague hall type, a type of hall church that would later be introduced on a larger scale, particularly in the County of Holland.

In the church stands an 18th-century cabinet organ, but in 1971 a new large Metzler organ was built.

Dromos