Nederland - Oudenbosch, basiliek

The Basilica of Oudenbosch - officialy Basilica of H.H. Agatha and Barbara - is a Roman Catholic church in the village of Oudenbosch in the province of North Brabant. The initiative for building this church was taken by father Willem Hellemons (parish priest 1842 - 1884), who had a great devotion to the Pope and the city of Rome. He inspired his 3.500 parishoners that much that within months, he collected enough money to start building the church.

Famous Dutch architect Dr. P. Cuijpers - responsible for the Rijksmuseum and Central Station in Amsterdam -designed a church with nave and interior modeled aftter St. Peters’ Basilica in Rome. With a length of 81 metres, a width of 55 metres and a highest point of the dome at 63 metres, the internal space of the basilica is 16 times smaller than that of Saint Peter’s. But it is still quite impressive, especially given its location in a rather small town.

The façade - designed by Prof. G.J. van Swaay - is a copy of the front of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome. Construction started in 1865 and was completed in 1892. In 1912 the church was elevated to the rank of ‘basilica’.

The interior is richly decorated with frescoes and sculptures. Most paintings in the church were hand painted on site (also in the big dome) by local C. Raaymakers and most statues are made by Antwerp artist F. de Vriendt.
A narrow staircase with more than 140 steps brings one to the dome - nearly 30 metres above the floor of the church - with amazing views into the basilica.