The Jacobskerk

The Jacobskerk is a church located at Borgweg 8, 9914 PG Zeerijp, Netherlands. The church's full name is "Jacobskerk" and it is situated in the town of Zeerijp.

• Here's an overview of the church's history:

The Jacobskerk was built in the 13th century as a Roman Catholic church. Over the centuries, the church has undergone several renovations and expansions, with the most significant changes occurring in the 16th and 17th centuries. During the Dutch Golden Age (1580-1700), the Jacobskerk became an important place of worship for the Protestant Reformed Church. In the late 19th century, the church underwent a major restoration project to restore its original Gothic architecture.

1. The Jacobskerk is an excellent example of Gothic architecture in the Netherlands.
2. The church's design features pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, which are characteristic elements of Gothic architecture.
3. The church also has a distinctive tower that rises above the surrounding buildings.

Other notable features of the Jacobskerk include its beautiful stained-glass windows, intricate stone carvings, and historic organ. Today, the Jacobskerk is an important cultural and religious landmark in Zeerijp and serves as a symbol of the town's rich history and heritage.

About the Church

The Jacobuskerk van Zeerijp is a medieval cruciform church with a free-standing bell tower. In the church are Romanesque and early Gothic elements found. The church was originally dedicated to the apostle James the Greater. In the church since 2006 has been an Archaeological Information Point housed.

The church stands on a large churchyard and is still partly surrounded by a moat. Part of the moat was filled in during the restoration in the 1960s. The entrance to the churchyard and the church is formed by a wrought iron gate with hinged palings, placed between 1793 and 1795, which may have originated from the demolished Haykema castle.

On the churchyard stands a burial house from 1893. As far as known stood here also the last skeleton house of Groningen, which was broken down in 1838.

Notable Features

The church is notable for being the last Groninger church to be built in part in the style of Romanesque and it is the fact that since its construction very little has been changed at the church.

In January 2018, the Foundation Old Groninger Churches, manager of the church, announced that the tower of the Jacobuskerk had suffered damage due to subsidence and earthquakes caused by natural gas extraction in this part of Groningen.