NETHERLANDS GUIDE

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
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
48 | Issue 62 | February 2019