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Centrumkerk is a church of the Dutch Reformed Church of Suriname. It is located on Kerkplein in the
In 1833, construction started on a new church. The architect was C.A. Roman. The Centrumkerk was consecrated on 5 July 1835 with Prince Frederick Henry as honoured guest. however construction continued until 1837. In 1840, Carl Naber was commissioned to build an organ for the church, however the organ was lost at sea. In 1846, a new organ was delivered and installed. The organ has been restored in 1966.
On 25 November 1975, the Centrumkerk was temporarily used as parliament building. The official transfer of sovereignty was signed in the church.
In 1944, W.A. Leeuwin made a radio program about Johannes Nicolaas Helstone, a composer and pianist. The broadcast ended with the observation that there were no visible signs of his presence any more. In 1948, a monument was erected on the north-side of the church honouring Helstone.
In 1955, a statue of
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricit ...
of Paramaribo
Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...
. It was the State church
A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a ...
until independence of Suriname
The early history of Suriname dates from 3000 BCE when Native Americans first inhabited the area. The Dutch acquired Suriname from the English, and European settlement in any numbers dates from the 17th century, when it was a plantation colony u ...
in 1975. The Centrumkerk is a monument, and an UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
. The building is octagonal
In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon.
A ''regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whic ...
without a church tower.
History
The first church built at the site was the Oranjetuin. It was shared with theLutheran church
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...
, and was also used as Town Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually house ...
. In 1743, the government moved out, and the Lutheran congregation erected their own church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Ch ...
in 1747. Around the church was a cemetery. The old church was torn down and replaced by a new octagonal shaped church in 1810. In 1821, the church burnt down in a fire.
In 1833, construction started on a new church. The architect was C.A. Roman. The Centrumkerk was consecrated on 5 July 1835 with Prince Frederick Henry as honoured guest. however construction continued until 1837. In 1840, Carl Naber was commissioned to build an organ for the church, however the organ was lost at sea. In 1846, a new organ was delivered and installed. The organ has been restored in 1966.
On 25 November 1975, the Centrumkerk was temporarily used as parliament building. The official transfer of sovereignty was signed in the church.
Monuments
In 1944, W.A. Leeuwin made a radio program about Johannes Nicolaas Helstone, a composer and pianist. The broadcast ended with the observation that there were no visible signs of his presence any more. In 1948, a monument was erected on the north-side of the church honouring Helstone.
In 1955, a statue of Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and ...
was placed on the south-side. The statue was a gift from Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...
.
References