Gouda - Grote Kerk (St Janskerk) 
A little way south of the Markt stands the Grote Kerk or St Janskerk (Reformed), which dates from the 15th and 16th centuries. Measuring 123m/404ft long by 45m/148ft wide, it is the largest church in the Netherlands. The first church on the site was built in the early 13th century, badly damaged in a great fire in the town in 1361 and rebuilt in the form of a hall- church (i.e. with aisles of the same height as the nave). After two further fires in 1438 and 1552 only the choir remained unscathed. Later the present cruciform basilica with a belfry was built (restored 1964-80).
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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Things to See
Grote Kerk Stained Glass 
The Grote Kerk or St Janskerk has a superb series of vividly colored stained glass windows, the Goudse glazen, on both Biblical and historical themes, which show the transition from the ecclesiastical to the heraldic and allegorical style of glass painting. The destruction of images in 1566 left 40 windows undamaged, and these were supplemented by 30 others, presented by princes and prelates and later by allied Dutch towns. The finest of the stained glass was the work of Wouter and Dirck Crabeth between 1555 and 1577 (Nos. 5-8, 12, 14-16, 18, 22-24 and 30). The most recent window, "War and Liberation" (1947), was designed by Charles Eyck.
Grote Kerk or St Janskerk Interior
Other notable features of the Grote Kerk or St Janskerk interior are the timber vaulting of the nave and aisles, which are separated from one another by short round columns, the fine organ of 1736 (supplemented in 1974 by an organ in the choir) and the burial chapels.
