Dordrecht - Church of Our Lady

(Local Name: Grote Kerk) At the west end of the Voorstraat, in the Grote Kerkbuurt, is the Grote Kerk or Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (Church of Our Lady). Legend has it that a chapel was built here about 1300 by St Sura, a saint much loved by the townspeople who was killed by the builders of the chapel out of greed for money, but rose from the dead. A new church was built in the 14th century, and after the great fire of 1457 was given its present form, in Brabantine Gothic style, between 1460 and 1502. As a result of a fault in construction the tower began to sink, and was completed only to a height of 70m/230ft. Later it was topped by four Baroque clock faces. A carillon of 49 bells was installed in 1949. The Grote Kerk is the only church in Holland with stone vaulting and one of the largest churches in the country, with a length of 108m/3,54ft and a height of 24m/79ft. The beautiful interior has 56 columns with cabbage-leaf capitals. From the tower there is a beautiful panoramic view of the town and the Oude Maas.