The late-Gothic church at the centre of the old town, dating from the 15th century. Inside, the vaulted ceiling is covered in painted biblical scenes — a rare survival in a Dutch Reformed church, where iconoclasm usually stripped the walls bare. The Grote Kerk is best known for its annual Easter performances of Bach's St Matthew Passion, a tradition that has made Naarden famous well beyond its size.
Grote Kerk (St Vitus Church)
Gothic church famous for annual Bach St Matthew Passion
A story
The St Matthew Passion performances here began in 1922 and have continued almost every Easter since. The church's exceptional acoustics and intimate scale — it seats around 1,200 — make it one of the finest places in the world to hear Bach's work performed. The conductor Eduard Flipse established the tradition; today the performances regularly sell out months in advance.