Church of Polsbroek

In Polsbroek there is a Dutch Reformed church, the oldest part of which was built in the first half of the fourteenth century. On the site of this church there has probably been a church since the beginning of the 13th century. The lower part of the church tower is constructed of cloisters, a large-format medieval brick; the upper part with a smaller size of brick.

In the Year of Disaster 1672, this church was largely destroyed by foreign troops. In 1676 the church was rebuilt. Pieter de Graeff, freeman of Zuid-Polsbroek, donated a new stained glass window. Peter's younger brother Jacob de Graeff and Stadtholder Willem III, Baron van IJsselstein, Benschop and Noord-Polsbroek also donated new windows.

In 1830 the entire hall church except for the tower was rebuilt. Gerrit de Graeff, freeman of Zuid-Polsbroek, laid the foundation stone. He also donated the new pulpit. For the construction, 2000 guilders were received from the Fund for Needy Churches. The tower is a protected national monument.

Herman de Man describes the church in regional novel 'De Koets':

"The Groote Kerk van Polsbroek is so small. The adult man is shocked by this when he returns to the dark village after childhood and enters the white church. The plastered pillars, which once seemed to reach into the sky, they stand there like truncated whitewashed trees, tormenting a wooden white barrel vault, which presses down the space. That vault also hangs so low, the Groote Kerk of Polsbroek is very stocky.

A church is seen with one look, but only children keep that overall picture in front of them. But who knows exactly how high the poovere pilasters are, how wide the ship, how deep in misery.... He's not a child anymore. He, too, sees the decay. The bluestone tiles are not only interrupted by blue-gray slabs, containing patrician relays of life and death, but also by red tichels, which were cheaper to replace. And the white smoothness of the walls is disturbed by gore damp spots. But a child cannot see it in this small universe of white: the church."

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