Fort Church
Fortkerk
Fort Church is located in Curaçao
Fort Church
Fort Church
12°6′16.06″N 68°56′3.98″W / 12.1044611°N 68.9344389°W / 12.1044611; -68.9344389
LocationWillemstad
Curaçao
CountryNetherlands
DenominationProtestant Church
Architecture
Years built1766-1769[1]
Specifications
Height16 metres (52 ft)[2]

The Fort Church (Dutch: Fortkerk) is a church of the United Protestant Community located in the court of Fort Amsterdam in Willemstad, Curaçao. The church dates from 1796, and is still in use.[3][1] A museum is located in the basement.[4] The Fort Church is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1]

History

In 1635, after the conquest of Curaçao by the Dutch West India Company, construction started of Fort Amsterdam.[5] The next year, a wooden Dutch Reformed church was constructed.[4] In 1766, the present church was built to serve the garrison, and was consecrated im 1769.[1]

In 1804, Curaçao was conquered by Great Britain, and a cannonball is located in the outerwall of the church.[2] The church of the Lutheran community, the other protestant denomination, burnt down during the conquest. It was decided that the Reformed and Lutherans would share the Fort Church.[6] In 1824, the Lutheran Church and Dutch Reformed Church merged into the United Protestant Community of Curaçao.[7]

The octagonal church tower was replaced by a round tower in 1903.[2] The church was restored in 1991.[8] In 1995, it was awarded monument status.[1] In 1997, the historical centre of Willemstad including the Fort Church was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[9]

The Fort Church is the most important church of the community, and offers services in Dutch every Sunday morning.[3] The mahogany pulpit and governor's bench date from 1769 and were designed by Pieter de Mey.[2][1]

Fort Church Museum

A museum is located in the basement of the Fort Church, and contains an overview of the Protestant history of Curaçao.[4] The museum contains the original clockwork of 1766 which was built by Dirk van der Meer, and is considered a masterpiece.[10]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fortkerk.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Fort Amsterdam – Fort". Curaçao Monuments. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "De Fortkerk (The Fortchurch) in Fort Amsterdam". The Netherlands Antilles (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Over Ons". VPG Fortkerk (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Protestantse Kerken". Reli Curaçao (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  5. ↑ "Fort Amsterdam and Governor's Palace". Curaçao Monuments. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Een Eeuwfeest". Amigoe di Curacao (in Dutch). 28 March 1925. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  7. ↑ "Fortkerk Curaçao]". Nederlands dagblad (in Dutch). 5 January 1980. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "Fortkerk is weer in oude glorie hersteld". Amigoe (in Dutch). Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "Historic Area of Willemstad, Inner City and Harbour, Curaçao". UNESCO. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  10. ↑ "Fundraising concert uurwerk Fortkerk". Amigoe (in Dutch). 11 May 1992. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.