Grafmonument Engelbrecht I van Nassau, Gothic grave memorial in Grote Kerk, Breda, Netherlands
The Engelbrecht I van Nassau monument is an approximately eight-meter-tall grave memorial in Breda's Grote Kerk featuring kneeling figures of the founders facing a Madonna with child. Patron saints and angels surround the central scene holding a canopy, while beneath the structure lies a vault containing seventeen bodies in lead coffins.
The memorial was built around 1475 to honor Engelbrecht I of Nassau-Siegen, his wife Johanna van Polanen, Jan IV of Nassau, and Maria van Loon-Heinsberg. It marks a significant period when this noble family secured their position within Breda's religious and civic life.
The monument displays the Nassau coat of arms under its central arch and blends Gothic architectural style with Spanish influences visible in its funeral art design. Visitors can observe how these combined elements were meant to reflect the family's status and authority within the church.
The monument sits prominently inside the Grote Kerk and is accessible whenever the church is open to visitors. Keep in mind this is an active place of worship, so respectful behavior and appropriate dress are expected when viewing the memorial.
During a major restoration in 1873, the location of the vault underneath was accidentally lost, remaining unknown until 1996 when renovation work led to its rediscovery. This century-long gap in knowledge makes the eventual finding of the burial chambers particularly noteworthy.
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