St Ludgerus Church - Doornspijk

Near Doornspijk, on the former sea dyke along the Zuiderzee, the Sint-Ludgeruskerk once stood. The church was named after Ludgerus, this Roman Catholic bishop was the apostle of the Groningen people, and lived in the first century, from 742 to 809. It is unknown whether the cleric also founded this church. In any case, he was in close contact with the North Veluwe coastal areas.

The very first churches on this site were wooden buildings; around the year 1100, the first tufa church arose. Over the centuries, the church was further expanded until it was finally over 45 metres long. During the Eighty Years' War, the church was demolished so that Spaniards could not use it as a shelter, only the tower remained standing. In 1592, a new, smaller church was built near the tower. You can see the contours of this church here in the landscape.

The spot in the landscape on the wild Zuiderzee was not a very safe place. In the 16th century, large boulders were laid to the northwest of the church to protect it from the water of the Zuiderzee. Although the church was spared in previous storm surges, during the storm surge of February 1825, things went wrong and the church was severely damaged. When the church tower was struck by lightning in the same year, the church, along with the adjacent farm, went up in flames completely.

A new church was built at a safer spot further inland. In 1975, the foundations of the old church were uncovered and made visible with a brick marker.

Old image: Gelderland Archive