Melissant is a village in the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

province of

South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...

. It is located on the island

Goeree-Overflakkee Goeree-Overflakkee () is the southernmost river delta, delta island of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, Netherlands. It is separated from Voorne-Putten and Hoeksche Waard by the Haringvliet, from the mainland of North ...

, in the municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1484 as melissant, and means "sand (

shoal In oceanography, geomorphology, and Earth science, geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank (geography), bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body ...

) of Melis (person)". Melissant developed after the Oud-Melissant polder was enclosed by a dike in 1480. The

Restored Reformed Church The Restored Reformed Church (, abbreviated HHK) is a Calvinist denomination in the Netherlands. It was founded in 2004, from congregations which made up the orthodox-reformed wing of the Dutch Reformed Church; they had previously been part ...

is an aisleless church built between 1862 and 1863 in neoclassic style. It was originally a

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

, but in 2004, during the merger into the Protestant church, the church was given to the Restored Reformed Church for 50 years in

emphyteusis (Greek, 'implanting') or emphyteutic lease is a contract for land that allows the holder the right to the enjoyment of a property, often in perpetuity, on condition of proper care, payment of tax and rent. This type of real estate contract speci ...

. The Catholic St Joseph Chapel was built in 1900 in

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style. It was a

bequest A devise is the act of giving real property by will, traditionally referring to real property. A bequest is the act of giving property by will, usually referring to personal property. Today, the two words are often used interchangeably due to thei ...

of Diert van Melissant to build a church, however the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Rotterdam The Diocese of Rotterdam () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in South Holland province of the Netherlands. The diocese is a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archbishop of Utrecht. Since 2011, the bishop has b ...

decided to build a chapel instead, due to the modest number of Catholics in the area. Melissant was home to 664 people in 1840. It was a separate municipality from 1817 until 1966, when it became part of

Dirksland Dirksland () is a village and former municipality on Goeree-Overflakkee Island in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The former municipality had a population of about 8,000 in 2007, and covered an area of about 74 km2 ...

. Subsequently, Dirksland became part of the new municipality of Goeree-Overflakkee in 2013.

Gallery

File:Goeree melissant kerk.jpg,

File:Exterieur OVERZICHT VOORGEVEL, LINKER ZIJGEVEL - Melissant - 20263942 - RCE.jpg, Farm in Melissant

References

Former municipalities of South Holland Populated places in South Holland Goeree-Overflakkee {{SouthHolland-geo-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References