Nicolaï Church
In the centre of Appingedam you’ll find the Nicolaïkerk or Nicolaaskerk; a Romanesque-Gothic hall church, the largest church in the Groningen Ommelanden and a listed building. It is one of the Top 100 Dutch UNESCO monuments.
Have a look now
The Nicolaïkerk is a Romanesque-Gothic hall church in Appingedam. The oldest part of the church was built at the beginning of the 13th century. It is thought that a place of worship may have stood on the site where the church was built. Due to the enormous growth that the town of Appingedam experienced during the 13th and 14th centuries, the church soon had to be extended.
For the first century, the church was dedicated to Mary, but after some time, Nicholas of Myra became the church’s patron saint. A few murals of Saint Nicholas can still be found on the walls of the building; these are dated to the mid-15th century. Nowadays, in addition to church services, the church is also used for concerts, exhibitions and lectures.
Clocks and the carillon.
In the tower…
The Nicolaïkerk is a Romanesque-Gothic hall church in Appingedam. The oldest part of the church was built at the beginning of the 13th century. It is thought that a place of worship may have stood on the site where the church was built. Due to the enormous growth that the town of Appingedam experienced during the 13th and 14th centuries, the church soon had to be extended.
For the first century, the church was dedicated to Mary, but after some time, Nicholas of Myra became the church’s patron saint. A few murals of Saint Nicholas can still be found on the walls of the building; these are dated to the mid-15th century. Nowadays, in addition to church services, the church is also used for concerts, exhibitions and lectures.
Clocks and the carillon.
On the second floor of the tower hang three bells. In the octagonal lantern is a carillon consisting of 25 bells, cast in 1911 by the English bell founder John Taylor.
As early as 1620, Appingedam had a carillon of 13 bells crafted by Francois Simon, which, after being slightly modified, was reinstalled in the new tower in 1835 until it was replaced in 1911. In 1979, 1991 and 2000, the striking mechanism underwent modifications and the number of bells was increased to 51.