Sint-Willibrorduskerk, Deurne

The St. Willibrordus Church in Deurne, the Netherlands, is a Gothic church with elements of the Neo-Gothic style.

During restoration work between 1961 and 1964, Romanesque fragments of wall work were found. It is possible that these fragments belong to the church, which was mentioned in a papal charter in 1069. This document is by no means a gift document, as is sometimes erroneously stated, but a confirmation that the church is owned by the abbey of Echternach. Yet the first church on this spot is most likely not much older than the eleventh century.

In the following centuries the present church was built. The Gothic high choir, which was originally higher than the nave, shows remarkable masonry similarities to the Great Castle in Deurne. Because that building was previously dated to about 1460, that year was also used for the high choir. Research into the history of the Great Castle in 2003, however, showed that the oldest part of this building must have been built before 1397. This could therefore just as well apply to the high choir.

Between 1881 and 1884, Pierre Cuypers led an extensive restoration. Two side towers were added to the tower. During the restoration, the medieval vault of the nave collapsed, so the entire nave was replaced. It was raised to the same height as the high choir. This restoration also led to the disappearance of some tombstones, including that of Jacob Geurts van der Horst, a shipwright murdered in 1670 in the present Weaver. During Cuypers' restoration, the church was provided with an extensive decorative program, including the Stations of the Cross by Roermond painter Peter Heinrich Windhausen.

During the previously mentioned restoration of about 1960 under the direction of architect Jos Deltrap, the spires of the side towers were lowered and a stinging tower on the high choir was removed. The entrances in the side towers were bricked up and new aluminum entrances were created on the sides. The recovered tombstone of Hendrick van Doerne and Christina van Hemert, owners of the Great Castle, was reinstalled in the northern side tower and cast in cement there.

The last restoration to date began in 2001. In addition to a general refurbishment of the building, a burial vault was reopened and archaeologically examined, and the vaults of nave and high choir were made accessible. In a final phase, the modern aluminum entrances will also be replaced with an appropriate entrance.

Surrounding the church is the remnant of a cemetery, closed in the 1960s. The oldest gravestones date from the nineteenth century; the majority from the mid-twentieth century.