|
In the Late Gothic period the wealthy towns and cities in the Netherlands placed great value on high church towers, which became virtual skyscrapers, the architectural symbols of the towns and their citizens. Façades with two towers tend to be the exception in the Netherlands.
The character of the octagonal body of tower was established by Utrecht's Dom Church (Domkerk). Once the Netherlands' largest church, dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, it is one of the country's two pre-Reformation cathedrals, along with the cathedral in Middelburg, Zeeland. Begun in 1254 on the basis of the classic High Gothic cathedral (as e.g. Tournai or Cologne), this cathedral was given a huge west tower in the 14th century, which was built in front of the west end. The 112-metre-high Dom Tower is the hallmark of the city. In 1674 the central portion of the cathedral with the nave collapsed in a storm. The tornado split the cathedral in two. It has never been rebuilt, leaving the tower now isolated from the east end.
The photo shows the tower.
|
