St. John's Beheading Church

The church of Loon op Zand was built around 1394. The inhabitants of Venloon (on the Zand) had been driven away from their original village around the Willibrordus Chapel by the advancing shifting sands. They settled around the new church dedicated to the Beheading of John the Baptist. The church was extended and rebuilt several times. The current form is largely the same as after the reconstruction of 1570.
As was the case with all Catholic almshouses in the southern provinces, this church was also requisitioned by the Republic after 1648 for Reformed worship. Due to a lack of believers, the church building was eventually used for various other purposes during the Reformation, such as fire storage, prison and horse stables. The structure also fell prey to storm and fire damage. In 1821 the church was returned to the Catholics. Since then, several restorations have followed.

Historische Routes