Grote Kerk

Brabantine Gothic church with Nassau royal tombs

The Church of Our Lady dominates Breda's skyline with its 97-metre Brabantine Gothic tower. Construction took 125 years, and despite the Reformation stripping many Dutch churches bare, the interior retains remarkable detail. The Princes' Chapel holds the tomb of Engelbrecht II of Nassau, one of the finest Renaissance monuments in the Netherlands.

The church is still in active use as a Protestant congregation, which means opening hours are somewhat unpredictable. It is generally open during the day outside of services. Climbing the tower gives views across the flat Brabant countryside that stretch to the horizon on a clear day.

things to do sight
A story
The Nassau family crypt beneath the Princes' Chapel holds the tomb of Engelbrecht II, carved around 1535 and widely considered the finest Renaissance funerary monument in the Netherlands. Four kneeling figures support the sarcophagus — an Italian Renaissance conceit transplanted to a Gothic church in a small Dutch market town.