In the 14th century, people in the Dutch city Delft decided to build a new church, near the existing older church. Today, 700 years later, the churches are still known as the Old Church and the New Church (Oude Kerk and Nieuwe Kerk, in Dutch). Last week on Photo Friday I shared photos of the Old Church of Delft, today I have some of the New Church.
Underneath the New Church is the royal burial vault. It is the final resting place of the members of the house of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family, starting with William the Silent. Inside the church are burial monuments for some of the people entombed here, including a large monument for William the Silent.
The New Church dominating the Markt, the central square of Delft.
The church tower seen from the Markt square.
Statue of Hugo Grotius, in front of the church.
Entrance to the royal crypt. The crypt is closed to the public and only opened during royal funerals.
Monument for William the Silent.
Monument for William the Silent.
A detail of the burial monument of King William I of The Netherlands, who is buried in the royal vault.
Burial monument for Princess Pauline of Orange-Nassau. She was originally buried in Berlin in 1806, but transferred to the royal crypt in 1911.
Burial monument for Hugo Grotius.
Chandelier.