The Pelgrimskerk

The Pelgrimskerk is a Protestant church located in Zoetermeer, Netherlands. The exact date of construction is not specified, but according to the start_date property in the JSON data, the church was built in 1932.

The architectural style of the Pelgrimskerk is zakelijk expressionistische, characterized by the kruisende zadeldaken and paraboolvormige spits. The building offers a place for approximately 350 people.

Initially, the church had no official name, but was referred to as the Boterkerk by the Zoetermeerders before the growth period. This may be due to the more than sixty earlier Zoetermeerse butter merchants who were Reformed and attended services here on Sundays or because they financed the construction of the church.

The glas-in-loodramen (glass-in-leaded windows) were crafted by the Kunstatelier in Het Bildt. The two bronze klokken (bellows) in the tower are from 1949, while the original ones were stolen during the Second World War by the German occupier.

On April 16, 1991, the Pelgrimskerk and the adjacent pastorie (parsonage) were placed on the municipal monuments list due to their architectonisch-historische and stedenbouwkundige value.

The church was in use by a local congregation of the Gereformeerde Kerk, which is part of the Protestantse Kerk in Nederland. This replaced the earlier kerkgebouw (church building) of the Gereformeerde Gemeente in het Lagereinde.

In 2019, a cooperative partnership between the three Protestant congregations Pelgrimskerk, Oase (Meerzicht), and Regenboog (Rokkeveen) began. Following this preparatory phase and growth towards integration, the three separate church councils and communities merged into a new community under the name Protestantse Wijkgemeente Zoetermeer Zuid with De Regenboog as the central kerkgebouw in Rokkeveen. The Pelgrimskerk was no longer needed.

The last kerkdienst (church service) took place on Sunday, January 30, 2022, after nearly 90 years of serving as a place of worship. In June 2023, it was announced that the building had been taken over by the Gereformeerde Gemeente Zoetermeer.

• The church has approximately 350 seats for worshippers.

1. In 1932, the Pelgrimskerk was built.
2. On April 16, 1991, it was placed on the municipal monuments list.
3. In 2019, the three Protestant congregations merged into a new community.
4. The last church service took place on January 30, 2022.