History and building
History
A difficult construction period
In 1468, the Carmelites began building their monastery and church on the Lange Nieuwstraat. The Carmelites were a mendicant order and were therefore entirely dependent on donations. This made construction difficult. Even before their monastery and church were completed, they had to hand them over to the Johannites in 1529. They had been based in the Catharinagasthuis since the 12th century, but Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) wanted to build his castle Vredenburg at this location.
Charles V decided that the Order of St. John had to move to the Lange Nieuwstraat and establish their church and hospital there. At that time, the Carmelites had only completed the choir and the transept of the church. The Order of St. John formed a spiritual knightly order with mainly noble members. They did have the financial means to complete the church and monastery buildings. In addition, they received money from Charles V to set up the monastery buildings as a hospital and guesthouse.
The church of the Carmelites, which was still under construction, was largely demolished by the Knights of St. John. Only the choir was preserved. The choir was separated from the nave by a marble rood screen. Rombout II Keldermans (1460-1531) designed the rest of the church. His origins are reflected in the architectural style, in which many influences of Brabant Gothic can be found, such as round columns with cabbage leaf capitals. On the outside of the choir there are buttresses, which help to bear the weight. In the nave, however, they were placed on the inside, which created shallow side chapels. The reason for these inward-facing buttresses is that there was no more space: on the north side was the Catharijnesteeg and on the south side the cloister. Due to this lack of space, the church also received a short transept. These building elements give the high, Gothic cruciform basilica a somewhat squat impression.
In 1551 the nave was finished and in 1560 the entire church was completed. It was dedicated by the Knights of St. John to St. Catherine of Alexandria. With the completion of this church the last medieval church in Utrecht was built.
The Reformation
The Johannites were not able to use their church for long. After the Reformation in 1580, all religions other than Protestantism were banned and so the Catholic Johannites were forced to leave their church.
The church became vacant, the adjacent hospital remained in use. The church was occasionally used for secular purposes. For example, the choir functioned as an anatomy room and the nave served as an iron storage for a while. In 1636, Protestants moved into St. Catherine's Church. They stripped the church of what they considered unnecessary decorations and painted the walls white. They also removed the marble rood screen and replaced it with a wooden choir screen with a pulpit in front of it. Protestant services were held in St. Catherine's Church for over 150 years.
From monastery church to main church
Towards the end of the 18th century, the French were in power in the Northern Netherlands. In 1795, they introduced freedom of religion and all religious communities were allowed to openly build churches again. Around 1800, the St. Catherine Church was hardly used by the Protestants, only as a burial church. The hospital also lost its function during the French period and a barracks with Catholic soldiers was established there. In 1815, the church became part of the barracks and thus the first Catholic garrison church since the Reformation was created. The Roman soldiers were known for going to church with a lot of music and fanfare. According to the Protestants, this was unheard of, but many Catholics joined these exuberant churchgoers. In 1836, part of the church collapsed during a heavy storm. The pillars turned out to be poorly founded and gravediggers had chopped off parts of the foundations several times because the coffins did not always fit in the graves.
The government found that renovating and maintaining the church was becoming too much of a burden, so King William II officially donated the church to the Catholic community in 1840 and even provided money for the repair of the damage. “We William II (etc.) have seen fit and understood to determine:
That the St. Catherine's Church in Utrecht and its appurtenances be completed before the end of the
current year to the Roman Catholic community, meeting in the Sint Catharijnesteegje in Dier
city, without any payment, will be surrendered in full and free ownership and
transferred, under obligation on her part, to immediately put that building in proper
to restore order.” This makes St. Catherine's Church the only medieval church in Utrecht
which has been officially returned to the Catholic community.
Pope Pius IX restored the episcopal hierarchy in the Netherlands in 1853. Utrecht was again
declared an archdiocese of the Netherlands with St. Catherine's Church as its cathedral. This
simple monastery church now had to function as the main church. A large
restoration so that the interior and exterior would reflect the dignity of the church
underline.
Interior
In the second half of the 19th century, there was great appreciation for the neo-Gothic style. The church, stripped by the Protestants, would be redecorated in this style. The Sainte Chapelle in Paris and the Cathedral in Cologne were used for inspiration. From 1859 to 1901, the interior of the church was taken care of by the studio of the famous sculptor Friedrich Wilhelm Mengelberg (1837-1919), who also made an important contribution to the interior of the St. Willibrord Church.
Plaster decorations were added around the columns and the white walls were painted in bright colours. The bright windows were replaced by stained glass windows. Many Catholics made donations to furnish their church with dignity. For example, a new choir partition, four altars, a sedilia, a Stations of the Cross, four confessionals, various statues and a cathedra were added.
Around 1900 the church was extended westwards by the famous architect Alfred Tepe (1840-1920).
This created space for a baptistery on the south side and a tower on the north side.
The front facade from 1550 was faithfully copied with the exception of the addition of the tower. The 53-meter high tower was crowned with a spire that Archbishop Hendricus van de Wetering (1850-1929) received for his silver jubilee as a priest. The spire was inspired by that of the town hall of Kampen. It is striking that this is a building with a secular function and that Kampen is known as a Protestant place.
Back to simplicity
After the Second World War, there was a great aversion to the neo-Gothic style.
from a drawing of the interior of St. Catherine's Church by Pieter Janszoon Saenredam
from 1636, during a major restoration from 1955 to 1970, all neo-Gothic elements were removed
removed. The drawing was made at the time when the church had just been stripped by the
Protestants and the church now again got a simple interior. The walls were
painted white again and only a few statues were preserved. Only one altar remained
and the cathedra was moved to a niche in the choir. In 1970 the restoration was completed.
According to the Catholics, this was entirely in keeping with the simplicity emphasized
was during the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).
The current interior
Towards the end of the 20th century, there was a reappraisal of the neo-Gothic style and several removed interior pieces were returned to St. Catherine's Church. Thanks to these adjustments, the church now contains a large number of beautiful art treasures. The furniture and statues designed by Mengelberg have been returned to the church in small numbers, such as the limestone statues of Saint Catherine, John the Baptist and Saint Barbara from 1897. The 14 Stations of the Cross by Mengelberg from 1898 were returned in 2003.
The current vault paintings are inspired by traces that were found during the restoration. The windows are alternately clear glass from 1960-70 and stained glass by Heinrich Geurer from 1880. For example, the Mary window can be seen in the north transept and the Eucharist window in the south transept. A number of interior pieces never left the church, but they had a less prominent place for a while.
In the meantime, the sedilia (1867), the cathedra (1868) and the rood screen (1871) can be admired again. The cathedra was removed from the niche and now stands to the left of the altar. In the seat, four reliefs are visible that show the life of Saint Willibrord. The cloth above it contains the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Utrecht, the hat above the coat of arms is red. The red hat indicates that Archbishop Eijk was appointed cardinal by the Pope in January 2012. Under the altar we find the Willibrord shrine from 1939. This was made by the brothers Leo and Jan Eloy Brom on the occasion of the 1200th anniversary of the death of St. Willibrord. Since 2002, this shrine has been carried during the Willibrordus procession. Since 2004, the church has had a Gothic sacrament tower. This one is inspired by the Gothic lantern of the dead from 1483 of the Maria Magdalena church in Sonsbeck, Germany. In the Netherlands, only a few Gothic sacrament towers have been preserved.
Special decorations
Fool figures in the choir vault
In angular bushes in the roof of the apse sit two jesters, with a jester's cap with long ears on their heads. One wears a bell cape and drinks from a chalice-like cup, the other plays a lyre.
The figures were only visible to the bishop when he was sitting on his episcopal chair, which was at the back of the choir. Such figures are often found in medieval buildings. We can interpret both figures on the basis of tradition as figures that want to point out that there are other than serious matters in this world.
The two figures were painted in a quasi-medieval style by the Swiss sculptor and painter Jeanot Bürgi (Zurich, 1939) during the restoration in 1964. He signed on the banderole under the drinker with 'JE. Bürgi pinxit et sculpit' (JE Bürgi [painted and sculpted this].
Pulpit
To the left of the altar table in the chancel is a lectern with an eagle, originating from the clandestine church in the Catharijnesteeg. The lectern was made in 1748 by Utrechter Nicolaas Verhaer (ca 1685-1750).
In connection with the renewal of the liturgy and the refurbishment of the church, Jan Noyons (1918-1982) from Utrecht made a base in the second half of the twentieth century and converted the altar lectern into a pulpit.
On the front, in the middle, is a medallion, with an image of the birth of Christ. On either side are the symbols of the evangelists Luke and Mark, respectively the ox and the lion. On the back is the eagle, the symbol of the evangelist John, with the reading board on its wings. In one claw he holds an inkwell with a quill and a tube.
Font
The 18th-century baptismal font in St. Catherine's Cathedral comes from the clandestine church in Catharijnesteeg. This was where religious services were held until the Roman Catholic parish took over St. Catherine's Church after the restoration of the episcopal hierarchy in 1853. An identical baptismal font can be found in St. Augustine's Church.
The two baptismal fonts were a gift from King Louis Napoleon who had a palace in the Wittevrouwenstraat, the current library of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Utrecht. The king exchanged this residence for the Palace on the Dam in Amsterdam shortly afterwards.
They were two marble garden vases that were probably given to the pastor for services rendered in the court chapel of Louis Napoleon. Copper lids and a wooden base were made for the vases, after which they were put into use as baptismal fonts.
Organ
The organ above the entrance was made in 1903 by Michaël Maarschalkerweerd (1838-1915), on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the episcopal
hierarchy.
Clocks
In 1900 the new west section with tower was completed. In 1902 four bells were installed (the old ones had disappeared) as a gift from parishioners on the occasion of the golden priestly jubilee of the pastor. Three bells hung in the tower at the front of the church, one in the crossing tower.
The bells were requisitioned on 29 January 1943 by the Germans, who used the material for their war industry. They never returned. The current bells form a three-tone chime and were made in 1948 by Petit & Fritsen.
Inside St. Catherine's Cathedral hangs a bell, cast by an unknown founder. The bell can be viewed during the opening hours of the church.
Size and dedication:
- 131.5 cm, 1400 kg; H. Willibrordus
- 117 cm, 980 kg; St. Catherine
- 103.8 cm, 700 kg; St. Mary
Texts:
Text Willibrordus: Willibrordus est nomen meum. Rursum clamabo ad Deum altissimum, dedit in opprobrium conculcantes me. Cum duabisaliis Johanne cardinali de Jong quadraginta sacerdotii sui annos feliciter paroeciani me dd AD MCMXLVIII. (I am called Willibrordus. Again I cry out to God, the Most High. He has put to shame those who trampled on me. With the other two (bells), when Johannes Cardinal de Jong celebrated his 40th anniversary as a priest in prosperity, the parishioners presented me in the year of our Lord 1948.)
Text Catherine: Catherine vocata sum. Cum meloda mea auribus insonnerit populorumcrescat in eis devotion fidei AD MCMXLVIII. (I am called Catherine. As my melody sounds in the ears of the Nations, may Faith increase in them. In the year of our Lord 1948.)
Text Mary: Nomen Maria mihi impositum. Dum sonitus mea transit per nubila mentes et corpora salvet protectio sempiterna. AD MCMXLVIII. (My name has been given to me: Mary. When my sound pierces the clouds, may the protection of the Eternal One preserve souls and bodies. In the year of our Lord 1948.)
Chiming bells
Bells of St. Catherine's Cathedral
Bibliography
- Defoer, HLM, 'A painted interior of the St. Catherine's Church in Utrecht from 1843' in: Monthly Magazine Oud-Utrecht, vol. 53 (1980), pp. 37-39.
- Deijk, A van, Medieval churches in Utrecht, Utrecht 1988.
- Onno, H., 'The altar for the Jesuit station St. Catharine' in: Monthly magazine Oud-Utrecht, vol. 64 (1991), no. 5, pp. 48-53.
- Staal, CH, 'The former bishop's altar in the Utrecht Catharijnekerk' in: Monthly magazine Oud-Utrecht, vol. 69 (1996), no. 4, pp. 76-82.
- Staal, CH, St. Catherine’s Church, Utrecht 2004.
- Under the spell of the church. 25 years of Church Watching Utrecht, Utrecht 2007.
- Haars, P., 'Mariamedaillons' in: Monthly Magazine Oud Utrecht 68th year number 6 – Nov/Dec 1995.
- Haars, P., 'John the Baptist' in: Monthly Magazine Oud Utrecht 70th year number 1-Jan/Feb 1997.
- Haars, P., 'Sacramentstoren' in: Monthly Magazine Oud Utrecht 78th year number 6-Dec 2005.
Text: Marieke Lenferink and Lisa Olrichs
Photography: Maarten Buruma, Hennie Korthuis and Nina Slagmolen