Reformed Church Warffum

The church of Warffum in the Groningen town of Warffum dates from the eleventh or twelfth century, although due to later renovations hardly anything can be seen of it.

The church, which is located on a mound, belonged to a Johannite monastery (commandery), which was demolished after the Reformation. This Romanesque church, built of tuff, has changed dramatically over time. The Romanesque character is hardly recognizable anymore. In the 16th century the church was enlarged by the addition of a choir and in the 19th century the church walls were raised. The original stones were covered with a layer of plaster in 1895 and the Romanesque windows were replaced by large pointed arch windows. All the changes made have given the church a neo-Gothic appearance.

The tower also dates from a later period and was built in 1638, as evidenced by the first stone laid in that year by jonkheer Feio Sickinghe. In 1971, the tower was stripped of the applied plaster layer. The predecessor of this tower was a detached tower southeast of the church, which is depicted on the map from 1683 of the Warffumer schoolmaster Pieter Geerdts.

There are two bells, one of which was made by the bell foundry of Carolus Spronneaux & Hugo Veri from 1686, with a diameter of 115 cm. The other is of much later date.

The church organ from 1812 belongs to the organ builder Heinrich Hermann Freytag and was completed after his death by his master servant Johannes Wilhelmus Timpe. The most recent restoration took place in 1987 by the Reil brothers in Heerde.

Wandeloverzicht