Discover Benelux | Top Places to Visit in the Netherlands in 2019 | The Ultimate Destination
Basilica Oudenbosch.
Discover religious heritage the Dutch way TEXT: MICHIEL STOL | PHOTOS: GEMEENTE HALDERBERGE
The southern parts of the Netherlands are predominantly Catholic regions, so it comes as no surprise that the area is brimming with religious heritage sites. For instance, the south-western municipality of Halderberge has amazing historical buildings and museums, dedicated to this legacy. “And the best way to discover all this splendour, is by doing it the Dutch way; on a bicycle,” says José Besters of Halderberge Municipality. Although the towns of Oudenbosch, Oud Gastel, Hoeven, Bosschenhoofd and Stampersgat have been around 48 | Issue 62 | February 2019
for centuries, the municipality to which these towns belong is fairly new - it was established in 1997. Each town has its own uniqueness to it, but it is the Roman Catholic heritage that binds them all together. Oudenbosch is the biggest of the five. Here, you simply cannot escape the heritage, in part thanks to the Oudenbosch Basilica of the Holy Agatha and Barbara. If not for its sheer size, people are overwhelmed by this copy of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. “The basilica came to be in 1880, after 15 years of construction, thanks to father Willem Hellemons.
He lived in Rome for a while and was in awe of St. Peter’s Basilica. He studied as many details as possible, so he could create a replica in Oudenbosch,” explains Besters. “It is now one of the Netherlands’ most famous churches, with over 70,000 visitors each year.” The basilica was designed almost entirely by famous architect P.J. Cuypers, who was also responsible for the Rijksmuseum and Central Station in Amsterdam. Cuypers went on to build the monastery Bovendonk in Hoeven, also part of the municipality. This marvellous building, characterised by its neo-gothic style, looks sober from afar, but up close you