Klimmen (L): St.
Remigius
Originally
the St. Remigius was a Romanesque church. That's what it looks
like today, even though it isn't quite. In its original 11th-century
state the church was a simple rectangular one-aisled building
with a wooden ceiling and a rectangular choir, entirely built
of Kunrader stone. A church like many others in this part of
the country in that period. In the 12th century side-aisles were
added while a tower, built of marl, was added in the 14th century.
In the 15th century the church was rebuilt in late-Gothic style,
possible following a fire. The ceiling was replaced by stone
vaults and the northern side-aisle was given pointed windows.
The side-aisles fell into decay and were demolished later, although
at the north-side a new side-aisle was built in the 17th century.
The confiscation by the protestants in 1666 and the simultaneous
use by both protestants and catholics between 1680 and 1835 did
the maintenance of the building no good. Eventually little was
left of the Romanesque appearance of the church. In ca. 1900
it looked like a barn, with rectangular windows and a white plastered
nave. The current Romanesque look of the church is the result
of a restoration between 1904 and 1906, executed by P.J.H.
Cuypers and his son Jos. Cuypers. A new southern side-aisle
was built while 17th-century northern side-aisle was altered.
The Gothic vaults were removed to be able to restore the windows
in the clerestorey. The vaults were replaced by a wooden ceiling.
The tower lost its Gothic entrance at the north-side and was
heightened with a storey in 1906, which unlike the rest of the
tower was in Romanesque style. At the east-side the rectagular
choir was demolished and the church was extended with a transept
and a new choir with a round apse.
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