Been to church today?

Last pics from the St. Janskerk in Gouda. The first is looking straight up at the magnificent organ. We got to hear the wonderful sound during our visit.

The second photo is a shot down the middle of the interior. Aside from the windows and the organ, the church is typical of the plain interiors of most dutch churches. A result of the reformation, during which most churches were whitewashed and stripped of decoration.

Devotional Dogs

In art with a religious theme, dogs are often used to signify devotion and loyalty ... obviously an important attribute for a church to promote.

There are many dogs featured in the windows of the St. Janskerk in Gouda. These peaceful canines are seen sleeping on the robes of their masters.

This concludes (for now, anyway) our tour of the stained glass windows. Tomorrow a final shot from the interior of this grand church.

Modern Glass, Old Theme

Continuing from the city of Gouda and the stained glass in the St. Janskerk.

Not all of the windows are over 300 years old. This one is the "Liberation" window by Charles Eyck from 1947.

While the window has obvious celebratory elements (the dutch flag takes center stage), there are dark elements too. If you click to enlarge the photo, look around the edges, particularly toward the bottom left where you'll see concentration camp victims huddling.

Unfortunately, since I was standing some distance away from the window, I can't isolate the detail without it becoming pixelated. I'd love to get in there with a tripod someday, but I don't think it will happen as officially I wasn't even supposed to be taking pictures during our visit.

A Gift of Glass

*Photo needs to be enlarged to be appreciated*

We'll stay in the town of Gouda (about 40km from Wassenaar) to show you some of the beautiful stained glass windows in the Grote Sint Janskerk (St. John's church).


The windows are considered among the finest in Holland, and a great deal of them date from the 16th century. One of the most interesting aspects of the windows is that they were made during the battle for independence from Spain and change to protestantism. Many of the religious fables featured in the windows are parables for the battles of the time.


This window, while not one of the most colorful, is one of my favorites. Donated by the city of Haarlem, it depicts the of the battle of Egyptian city of Damietta during the crusades. If I remember correctly, the story goes that the dutch, led by William I and the Haarlemmers, conquered the port which was previously impenetrable. Nothing like a little bragging to one of your neighboring cities in the guise of a religious gift.


Click on the photo for a larger size, and check out the incredible detail (which is nearly impossible to see as you're straining your neck in the church). Take special note of the ship sailing over the supposed giant chain that protected the port.

Where?Wednesday: Gouda

Gouda is home to one of the most magnificent town halls in The Netherlands. Finished in 1450, it stands proud in it's gothic glory in the middle of the town square. Photographed on a recent Saturday, when a general market fills the marktplatz.

Outside of Holland, Gouda is probably most associated with cheese. We've never seen the summer cheese market, but we've definitely consumed our fair share of the stuff.

The town is also home to the Grote St. Janskerk, which has some of the best stained glass windows in the country. We'll save that for another post.

One final note. The town residents are all aware that most english speakers pronounce the name "goo-da." It must sound like nails on a chalkboard to natives. We learned quickly that the dutch pronounciation is like "how-da" except it sounds like you are clearing your throat when you say the "h." And that's your language lesson for the day. Graag gedaan (and don't even ask how to pronounce that).