Eliot's Travels

Sint Janskerk in Gouda is especially famous for its stained glass windows - the "Gouda Windows" - which depict scenes from biblical and national history. Most of the windows are from 1555 - 1603. During WWII, the stained glass was removed from the church and hidden safely. A special Liberation window is a reminder of this period.

In those days, sponsors paid for the creation of the windows. The sponsors expected to be depicted in the lower part of their Window, thus showing the people how good, powerful, and pious they were. The present church dates largely from the period before the fire of 1552. After the Reformation of 1572, this Roman Catholic church was given to the Protestants. The organ was built from 1732 till 1736 by Jacob Fr. Moreau.


No. 9 The annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist
No. 6 Judith beheads Holofernes
No. 2 The capture of Damietta (sponsored by Haarlem) This one was Eliot's favorite
Whitney and the boys read about the stained glass
No. 25 The relief of Leyden - Willem of Oranje freeing the city from the Spanish, sponsored by Delft

posted by Whitney @ 8:12 PM