Dordrecht Ancient Capital of Holland

Coat of arms of the County of Holland	Coat of arms of Dordrecht

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The Dordrecht Minster or Church of our Lady

Inside the Dordrecht Minster

The Maria or Lady Chapel

The Maria or Lady Chorus, 1283, was damaged during the great city fire in 1457 and partly rebuild	The Maria or Lady Corus, this organ was installed in 2006 and build in acc. with the speicifications of the original 18th century Bach organ

 

The Maria or Lady Chorus, memorial for the famous seascape painter J.C.Schotel, installed in 1839	The Maria (Lady) Chorus, stained glass windows

The Meerdervoort, Jerusalem and St George’s Chapels

The northern Choir Aisle, view on the Meerdervoort chapel	The northern Choir Aisle, memorial for an English sea officer who was killed on March 21,1793 at Noerdijk in defend of Holland against Napoleon. The English army was quartered at Dordrecht to defend Holland against the French

 

The Meerdervoort Chapel, close up	Meerdervoort Chapel, tombstone of Michasel Pompe (died 1639) and his wife Adriana de Bevere (died 1678)

 

The Meerdervoort Chapel, close up	The Meerdervoort Chapel

 

Stained glass window in the Meerdervoort Chapel, The life of Jesus	Stained glass window in the Meerdervoort Chapel, Thedead of Jesus	Stained glass window in the Meerdervoort Chapel, The resurrection of Jesus

 

View on the Jerusalem Chapel, the three stained glass windows which, like in the Meerdervoort Chapel, were given by the Stoop family, depicts three moments in the history of Dordrecht: the St Elizabeth’s Flood of 1421, the Great City Fire of 1457 and the occupation of Dordrecht on 6 April 1481, during the battles between ´Hooks and Cods´ groups (see description next)	View on the The Jerusalem and the St George’s Chapel who belonged to the Guild of Bowmen

 

The Jerusalem Chapel

 

The Jerusalem Chapel, stained glass window depicting the St. Elisbath Flood in 1421	The Jerusalem Chapel, stained glass window depicting the great fire of 1457	The Jerusalem Chapel, stained glass window depicting Dordrecht occupied by the Cods trickered by Jan van Egmond on April 6th 1481 during the Hooks and Cods wars

 

Modern stained glass windows in the St George’s Chapel, this chapel belonged to the Guild of Bowmen, installedf in 2006

 

The St Louis’ or Minster Chapel, the St Apolonia’s Chapel and the St Pancras’ Chapel

The southern Choir Aisle, from left to right, the St Louis’ or Minster Chapel, the St Apolonia’s Chapel, the St Pancras’ Chapel, The Jan van Muylwyck Chapel, St John’s Chapel, St Jacob the Major and the St Peter and St Paul Chapel

In 1433 the Minters guild took responsibility for the St Louis’ Chapel. Coins of the realm were minted in Dordrecht for many centuries. Above the door there can be seen the Minters’ coat of arms and tools, with the inscription, ´Hast Thou aimed for money, more excellent than gold; share Thy money with the poor and expect a hundredfold´. Counting the red-painted Roman numbers on the inscription, we get 1675. That was the year in which the screen was installed

 

View from the Sanctuary to the St Pancras’ Chapel	View to the east of the southern Choir Aisle

 

The St Pancras’ Chapel. The third chapel in the Southern Choir Aisle belongs to the Vriesendorp family societssy and was restored in 1914. The attractive screen and stained glass window were also added at that time.	The window shows the history of the young Pancratius, who was killed for his beliefs in the year 303. On the left-hand side Pancratius stands before the emperor, who is trying to persuade him to give up his belief. The right-hand side shows the death of the young martyr. Pancratius is kneeling while the executioner raises the sword to behead him.

 

The St John’s Chapel, stained glass window depicting the charitable activities of the Order of the Knights of St John of Malta.

The St John’s Chapel has a window depicting the charitable activities of the Order of the Knights of St John of Malta. In the eleventh century the Order founded a hospitum – a combination of pilgrims’ hostel and hospital – in Jerusalem. Their activities included feeding the hungry, treating wounds, nursing the sick, carrying for foreigners, preaching the Gospel, liberating prisoners, giving water to the thirsty and defending the law. There were centres of the St John’s Order in the places named in the window

 

This window, with its colourings of purple, blue and red also clearly indicates the atmosphere of the Middle Ages	Unfortunately a wall with entrance was erected in 1987 (a shame to deform this magnific monument in such way), making it difficult to view the lower part of the window

The Southern Transept

	tained glass window (Southern transept), depicting five historical scenes from Dordrecht. 1. The liberation of Dordrecht by the “Watergeuzen” (sea fighters) in 1572 The lowest part of the window depict their leaders, Lumey, Count Van Der Mark (left side), and Barthold Entens van Mentheda (right side). 2. William of Orange taking part in Holy Communion in Dordrecht Minster on 21 March 1574.	3. The first Free States Meeting under the chairmanship of Marnix van Sint Aldegonde, held in 1572 in the former Augustine monastery. It was attended by representatives of those cities which had supported William of Orange in the fight against Spain. This lead unintentionally to the founding of the Repulblic of the United Netherlands. The cities represented at that meeting are depicted in the window by their coats of arms. These are connected by the motto Concordia res parvae crescunt (Union also makes the small large). 4. Above the coats of arms can be seen the important people who attended the National Synod in Dordrecht in 1618 - 1619. From left to right they are Prince Maurits; his nephew, the Friesian governor Willem Lodewijk; Johannes Uitenbogaerdt, court-chaplin; Professor Franciscus Gomarus; Johannes Bogerman, Chairman of the Synod (left, with raised hands); and (below left) the Remonstrants Episcopius; Niellius; Johan van Oldebarnevelt; Hugo de Groot (he is holding the ´Resolution for Church Freedom´ in his hand) and Professor Jacobus Arminius, though he had died in 1609, aged fourty-nine. 5. The translation of the Bible from the original languages. The so-called States Bible had much influence on the Dutch language.

The Sanctuary

Copper fence, 1743. This Fence was placed between the Sanctuary and the Nave of the Minster in 1761	The southern Choir Aisle, view to the west

 

Copper fence, 1743	View to the east to the Sanctuary. In the Middle Ages the Sanctuary was the liturgical heart of the church

 

Copper fence, 1743, close up	Overview of the Sanctuary to the east with the famous Stone Dome Vault of the Dordrecht Minster

 

The Sanctuary, southern side. The early renaissance choir stalls which are currently in the Sanctuary were made between 1538 and 1542	The Sanctuary, northern side. Matthijs Balen mentioned in his description of the City of Dordrecht (1677) the name of a certain Jan Terwen Aertszoon as the maker of the choir stalls

 

Overview of the Dordrecht Minster from the Sanctuary to the west with the Stone Dome vault of the Minster, the Choir Stalls and far in the background the Nave with the famous Baroque organ, 1672	View on the copper fence between the Sanctuary and the Nave

 

View to the Nave, in the foreground the tombstones of the Sanctuary, the large maintenance of the main organ (2007-2010) is visably in the background	Side close up view on the Choir Stalls in the Sanctuary

 

The Dordrecht choir stalls stand in two levels behind each other and can seat 60 people, separated by supports. The long stalls without supports were for choir boys and church officials. Forty people could be seated there

 

Copper tombstone of Wouterbuck, mintmaster of Holland and his wife	Tombstone of Ocker Gevarts, mintmaster of Holland and burgomaster of Voorne

The Nave

View from the Nave to to the Sanctuary. After the Reformation in 1572 the Nave was adapted for protestant worship	The Pulpit, 1756. The pulpit with marble steps and body and wooden sounding board

 

The Pulpit, 1756. The pulpit with marble steps and body and wooden sounding board

 

Clos up of the Pulpit, 1756. The pulpit with marble steps and body and wooden sounding board

 

Overview of the Minster from the Nave to the Sanctuarry

 

The present organ was installed to replace an organ from 1400. When the pulpit was moved to the nave in 1597, the first organ was also moved to the southern transept, approximately opposite its original position. In 1762 the organ casing was fitted with new carvings in rococo style, with the exception of the Arms	The carving and Arms were painted white and the oakwood organ casing received a mahogany colouring. In this way the organ formed a unity with the nave. About 1855, however, the organ had fallen into such disrepair that it was decided to build another organ, to be placed in the existing casing.

 

The new organ, now located at the north western end of the building, was built by the organ builder Kam of Rotterdam and was inaugurated by the then current Minster organist, Gijsbert Izaäk de Vries.	Except for some minor changes, the current organ still has its original specification from 1678

The Southern Choir Aisle

The St Anna’s Chapel This chapel was founded for the furriers and at the end of the seventeenth century came into the ownership of the Van Slingerlandt family. The family coat of arms with crown is supported by an eagle and a swan. The crowned letter L on the eagle’s wing probably refers to the fact that the Van Slingerlandt family were raised to the nobility in 1702 by the Austrian Emperor Leopold I

The northern Choir Aisle, view to the east

 

Exhibition about the Synod of Dordrecht. The Synod was held in 1618 - 1619 in the Arquebusiers’ Shooting Range (Kloveniersdoelen), that building being demolished in the nineteenth century. The opening and conclusion of that Synod took place in the Minster and there were many foreign representatives present	A most important decision was to translate the Bible into Dutch, which had a great influence on the Dutch language.The model gives a good impression of the ´Kloveniersdoelen´ and the Synod held there

The Northern Choir Aisle

Entrance to the tower and the main entrance Hall (north-western side)	The southern Choir Aisle, view to the east

 

St Barbara’s Chapel, the huge tombstone of Cornelis Teresteyn Adriaenzoon Teresteyn, who died on 22 March 1643, lies in this chapel	Mayor Pietsser Damaszoon van de Velde had furnished the St Olof’s or Odulphus’ Chapel as a family grave about 1550. Descendants of the Van de Velde- Van der Mijlen family provided a renaissance screen in 1626 with the family coat of arms.There are also several biblical texts on the screen from the Book of Isiah and the Book of Revelation of St John

 

The St Catherina’s Chapel, tombstones of the famous Dordrecht De Witt family, the last resting place of the parents and grandparents of Johan de Witt (famous statesman) and his brother Cornelis. The De Witt brothers were cruelly murdered in The Hague in 1672

 

This chapel belonged to the Fish Merchants Guild. The chapel floor has been restored to its original level, making visible the stone seats along the wall. There is a vault in the chapel which contains the gold Holy Communion and Baptismal sets in the summer months	The Gold Liturcal set for the last supper and the baptism dates from 1738. The design was made by the famous Dordrecht Painter and artist Aert Schauman and was cast in Gold by goldsmith Dirk Wor.

 

In 1579 a painting in the renaissance style was made above the entrance to the northern Transept	This is one of the largest protestant paintings in the Netherlands. It is a so-called ´secco´, a painting on a dry chalk base

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The two organs of the Dordrecht Minster

Even in the Middle Ages the church had an organ. This is confirmed in financial accounts from 1490 which show payments to an organist. However, after the introduction of the Calvinistic order of service little remained of the rich Roman Catholic liturgy. It was not so much organ music to which the church council objected, but rather some “light hearted” playing. This was probably due to the organists who, now and again, played non-religious pieces.

When the pulpit was moved to the nave in 1597, the first organ was also moved to the southern transept, approximately opposite its original position. In 1614 the organ builder Aelbert Kiespenning of Nijmegen was contracted to build a new organ that would be located on the east wall of the southern transept. This organ was approved by the famous organist Jan Pietssersz. Sweelink of Ansterdam.

A lead singer was appointed in 1611 to support congregational singing. Organ music was banned temporarily from church services but after 1638 the chanting of psalms was once again accompanied by the sounds of the organ. The organ once again regained its rightful place in services, but technically no longer met requirements. In 1671 the organ builder Nicolaas van Hagen received a contract to build a new instrument. In spite of protests from the Guilds that the money could be better spent, he made preparations in his home town of Antwerp and commenced the project. Lack of money and the war against France caused progress to be slow.

By 1674 the work was only half completed. However, to have stopped at that point would have been a senseless waste of money. The only alternative was to borrow more money and in 1675 Nicolaas van Hagen was again fully employed on this work. After that date his name is no longer mentioned in historic documents. Carel Jacobsz. Pellereyn, organ builder of Dordrecht, finally completed the building of that organ.

In 1762 the organ casing was fitted with new carvings in rococo style, with the exception of the Arms. The carving and Arms were painted white and the oakwood organ casing received a mahogany colouring. In this way the organ formed a unity with the nave. About 1855, however, the organ had fallen into such disrepair that it was decided to build another organ, to be placed in the existing casing. The new organ, now located at the north western end of the building, was built by the organ builder Kam of Rotterdam and was inaugurated by the then current Minster organist, Gijsbert Izaäk de Vries.

1. The Main Organ, made bij Hagens in 1672, called Kam Organ

The Word-famous Organ of the Minster of Dordrecht in The Netherlands was build in 1678 and renovated in 1762 and 1859. In 2006 a major restoration of the organ pipes began, which was finished in 2011 and  restored the full former glory of the sound of this wonderful charactaristic organ.

Click the image to hear the ORGAN of the Dordrecht Minster, Marche Triomphale - Mic.J. Lemmens, Organist Andre de Jager.

Due to the acoustic of the Cathedral, the echo of the sound of this organ takes about 10 seconds to die-away. A notable detail, the organ can't be set to its full capacity because of the danger of damaging the walls and the stone dome-vault of the Big Church.

If you like Organ music, here is another nice example of the sound of this famous organ : Organist Andre de Jager Baroque Suite - Gordon Young in MP3 CD quality (160kbps / 44 kHz) (9.538 kb), playing time 8.07 min.

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A video with fragments of the DVD from the organist Everhart Zwart

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2. The Bach organ

On September 26, 2007 a new Bach organ was placed in the Minster, made by Verschueren Organ (Heythuysen) and festively inaugurated.

This instrument is a significant enrichment of the Dutch organs in general , and of the Dordrecht Minster in particular. Never before was indeed a copy of the work style of the famous organ builder Gottfried Silbermann built in the Netherlands. Moreover, the instrument is from a stylistic point of view an important addition to the opus magnum of the famous organ builders Kam (the builders of the main organ) in the giant Dordrecht Minster.

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Flash slideshow of the Dordrecht Minster

I made a flash slideshow of the inner side of the Minster with organ background music which can be set off when you don't like organ music. This slideshow can be paused to read the information when moving the mouse on the picture. You can see the Slideshow HERE

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