Janskerk, Church in Gouda, Netherlands
The Janskerk is a Gothic church in the center of Gouda, in the Netherlands, recognized as the longest church in the country. It has a long nave and 72 large stained glass windows that fill the interior with colored light.
The church was first mentioned in 1280 and traces back to a small chapel founded in 1278. After a major fire in 1552, the building was rebuilt in the Gothic style and took on the shape it has today.
The 72 stained glass windows, known in Dutch as the Goudse Glazen, show scenes from the Bible and from Dutch history. Twenty of them were made by two brothers from Gouda, Dirck and Wouter Pietersz. Crabeth, whose work remains visible today as a sign of local craftsmanship.
The church sits in the heart of Gouda and is easy to reach on foot from the main square. It is open to visitors most days of the year, though on Sundays access is only possible during services.
During World War II, the stained glass windows were removed from the church and stored in a safe location to protect them from bomb damage. Around 61 of the surviving windows date from between 1530 and 1603, making this one of the largest collections of original Renaissance glass panels in the world.
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