St. Catherine's Church

This church is the only old monument that has been preserved in Zevenbergen after the destruction of 1940 and 1944 and was dedicated to Saint Catherine before the Reformation.
The oldest parts are from the 14th century. It is a Gothic church, consisting of a three-aisled nave, a transept, a straight choir and on the west side of the north transept the Joris chapel.
After heavy war damage, the church was restored in 1949-1953.
The tower, which was blown up by the enemy just before the liberation, was rebuilt in 1961 according to the old model.
The nave in its current pseudobasilical form is from around 1400, when the choir was also raised. The church took its final form after a major renovation in the years 1541-1546.
Inside we see columns with leaf capitals and painted wooden barrel vaults. The capitals at the entrance of the choir are decorated with the symbols of the four evangelists.
The floating pulpit in Louis XVI style is from 1785 and stands out for decorations of flower cellars and a crown with a cartouche, in which an "all-seeing eye".
In addition to the nineteen decorated tombstones from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, there is a large monument in memory of Jean de Ligne, Count of Aremberg and Lord of Zevenbergen (killed in the battle of Heiligerlee, 1568), executed in Namur black stone and surrounded by numerous arms of the deceased, including the sign of the Golden Fleece.
The bell in the tower belongs to the older bells of the Netherlands (1450).
Also noteworthy are the rose window on the west side and the beautiful Flentrop organ with 33 voices and three keyboards.
Since March 1610, the Reformed Church has been churching here.
Week after week, in good and bad days, the Word of God is proclaimed here and prayers and singing are sung together.

Lineke Geluk