Saaksum (; ) is a
village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
in the municipality of
Westerkwartier in the province of
Groningen
Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...
in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. As of 2021, it had a population of 90.
Until the municipal reorganization of 1990, it belonged to the former municipality of
Oldehove.
Saaksum is a
''wierde'' village in good condition. It is a
protected villagescape. The wierde is located on the edge of the village, on the main road from
Aduard to .
Church
The
Reformed Church
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...
, which was rebuilt in 1849, is located on the wierde. Its predecessor was a church dedicated to
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
Catherine of Alexandria, also spelled Katherine, was, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the emperor Maxentius. According to her hagiography, she was both a princess a ...
according to a document from 1588. A memorial stone at the bottom of the tower reports that it was ('made') in 1550. The tower was restored in 1709. In 1845 it was decided to build a new church due to its dilapidation, but the tower remained standing. The new church was built in 1849. From the church, a short
church path runs to the village, which is located entirely along a circular road.
Gallery
20080510 Church Saaksum NL.jpg, The church of Saaksum
Saaksum - Noordstraat.jpg, Houses on the Noordstraat
Saaksum - haven.jpg, Harbour of Saaksum to the
References
External links
{{Authority control
Populated places in Groningen (province)
Westerkwartier (municipality)