The Protestant Church is a church of the

Dutch Reformed 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 fami ...

and

Lutheran Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

community in Oranjestad,

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

. The church is not an official member of any international church organisation. The old church dates from 1846. In 1950, a new church was constructed next to the old church. The old church is the second oldest building of Oranjestad which still exists after

Fort Zoutman Fort Zoutman () is a military fortification at Oranjestad, Aruba. Originally built in 1798 by African slaves, with materials provided by the Amerindians, who performed Statute Labour or corvée for the Dutch West India Company, it is the oldest ...

History

The majority of the population of Aruba were Roman Catholics, and there used to be no church for the Protestant community of Aruba. There was a gentlemen's agreement that the priests would perform

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

s and other rites, and inform the Lutheran or Dutch Reformed community in

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

. The Protestant community petitioned the

States General of the Netherlands The States General of the Netherlands ( ) is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Netherlands consisting of the Senate (Netherlands), Senate () and the House of Representatives (Netherlands), House of R ...

to open a church in Aruba. In 1822, Karel van Eekhout was sent to Aruba as minister and schoolteacher. J.H.G. Eman was appointed as overseer for the Lutheran Church, and C. Specht for the Dutch Reformed Church. Together they purchased the house of the Arends family in 1822. On 25 August 1822, the first service was held. The church services were held in

Papiamento Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; ) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao ( ABC Islands). The language, spelled in Aruba and in Bonaire and ...

. Van Eekhout had no formal education, and therefore was not allowed to perform sacrements. In 1830, he resigned, and it wasn't until 1839 when an ordained minister was appointed. Misa si Oranjestad

The house was too small and in a poor condition. In 1845, it was demolished, and a real church was constructed in its place. The congregation at the time was about 400 people. In 1867, a tower was added to the church. In 1950, a new church was built next to the old church on the grounds of the former Doctor's House. The new church was inaugurated on 28 May 1950. and was designed by C.M. Bakker. In 2011, the congregation was 480 people. The services are still held in Papiamento. In 1988, the old church was restored and is currently in use as exhibition and concert hall. It also houses the A. van den Doel Bible Museum.

A. van den Doel Bible Museum

The A. van den Doel Bible Museum is housed in the Old Protestant Church. The collections include old

bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

s, works of art, and other religious artifacts. It is named after Anthonie van den Doel who was minister of the church from 1983 until 2001.

References

Bibliography

* {{Buildings in Aruba Churches in Aruba Buildings and structures in Oranjestad, Aruba Churches completed in 1846 Dutch Reformed Church buildings Lutheran church buildings in North America