St. Jan cathedral, Den Bosch

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a beautifull Cathedral with a great organ in the center of Den Bosch, certainly worth a visit!
they have a wonderfull Mariachapel where people can sit down to meditate, burn candles
On the floor you can see very old beautifull gravestones
more info on their website

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The Friends of Den Bosch (Kring Vrienden van 's Hertogenbosch) organise various city walks and other activities to share their enthusiasm and knowledge of the city. The medieval city, modern architecture, monuments and the river Dieze.

You can contact them through their website.

With this last view on the beautiful windows in the cathedral in Den Bosch,

I want to thank you for reading my page. I hope you enjoyed this little tour through Den Bosch. If you want to read more about cities like this in Holland, don't forget to take a look at my Netherlands page.

In the middle of Den Bosch you can see the St.Jan Cathedral. The Cathedral is open for the public (outside church hours) every day from 8 o'clock until 5 o'clock in the afternoon. From the 3rd of November until Easter it is open from half past 9 until 4 o'clock in the afternoon. The entrance of the cathedral is free.The next few pictures are of the interior and exterior of the cathedral, so you can have an impression what it looks like.

St. John Cathedral is, indeed, the biggest attraction of the city. Built in 13 century It is a real architectural masterpiece. Walk inside to see the magnificent interior and don't forget to pay attention to the organ. The entrance is free, unlike in many other churches in The Netherlands.

See the cathedral! Walk around to admire the fine Gothic detail, but do not forget to go inside either. Only, do remember you are in a church. People do not just come here to look at the vaults but also to pray, so please behave. Two chapels are only accessible to those who come to pray, so NO pictures and NO sightseeing.
Outside the church, in a cabin, is De Bouwloods, a small museum about the history of the church and its endless restorations. I haven't seen this yet, but it should be interesting. Unfortunately it seems that you have to make an appointment, and it's only accessible for groups. It's also possible to climb the tower; ask about this at the tourist office, and let's hope it's not for groups only.

This is the most important Gothic church of the Netherlands and it's hard to believe that it was built as a 'simple' parish church. It only became a bishop's church later. Yet, like a true cathedral, for a long time its construction was the main objective of the people of the city. Everybody helped pay for it, many men worked at parts of the church their entire working lives, until a son replaced them. And that for several generations!

Note that the tower is in a completely different style, still kind of Gothic but less flamboyant and with touches of Romanesque. This is the oldest part of the church but restorations have resulted in a very new look, which is a bit of a shame. Still, it's a small miracle 19th-century architects didn't replace the tower altogether. I'm sure they would have wanted to. Speaking of restorations; one of the biggest did the church more bad than good, and not so long ago it was falling apart. Today it may look in good shape but there's always work to be done. If you have some money to spare, you can donate it in the church.

You'll find a few pictures of the church in a travelogue I made. The cathedral has it's own website but it's so horrible (100% Flash and Dutch only and everything moves) that I rather spare you from the fate of actually having to look at it.

You can't miss this cathedral! Partly because it's so big it dwarfs all other buildings and the other reason is that you simply haven't seen Den Bosch if you haven't visited this jewel!

Construction lasted throughout the late Middle Ages, and St Jan's is now a testimony of the typical Brabant gothic style. One of its designers was the famous local painter Jeroen (Hieronymus) Bosch. Only two of his paintings remain in the city and both are to be seen in St Jan's: a modest diptych of Jesus and Mary.

Not only the inside is worth visiting: the exterior has some fascinating scultures, check out the old roof and bring binoculars if necessary!

It's not something you will miss when visiting den Bosch, the beautiful Gothic Church dating back to the 14th century. They started building this church in 1380. The church became protestant in 1629. In the beginning of the 19th century the church became a Roman Catholic church once more. Since the end of the 19th century there has been a continuous restauration. It never seems to finish. Don't miss this Cathedral when visiting den Bosch!

The site below is in Dutch but gives many more pictures for those interested in knowing more of one the most beautiul churches in the Netherlands.

This late gothic and richly decorated church was built between 1380 and 1520. The church is magnificient and the best looking church I've seen in the Netherlands yet!! A truly must see. Check out the St. Jans Cathedral travelogue for more information and pictures of this church.

Now that's more like it. Sint Jan's is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the Nederlands. The interior (open 10 am to 4:30 pm) is, in a word, stark. After the Protestants assumed control of the cathedral in 1629 they stripped away much of the interior adornments, finding them to be too garish and idolatrous. The interior feels very, very open, if a bit empty. Fortunately they never got to dulling down the exterior.