Capital of the province of Zuid-Holland and de facto capital of The Netherlands. Also known as 's Gravenhage and The Hague. The former village of Scheveningen is now a part of the city but has a page of its own. These pages show a few of the churches in Den Haag, both inside and outside the centre.

The Grote Kerk ('great church') is the oldest church in the centre of Den Haag. It's also known by its original catholic name of St. Jacobus. The church has some features typical for churches along the coast of Holland, the most important of which is the absence of stone vaults, making outer support in the form of flying buttresses redundant, which results in a very "clean" appearance of the area around the choir. The rest of the church was an invention in its own right; the nave owes much of its strength by its typical construction which today is refered to as 'The Hague hall-type' (see Gothicism). In this type the traves of the outer aisles each have a gable of their their own and wooden vaulting which is positioned square on the nave. This allows for large windows in a relatively low building.

Location:  Rond de Grote Kerk 10

The Gothic Kloosterkerk ('monastery's church") as the name suggests was the church of a monastery. Although monastic life ended in this city in 1574, the church has survived. It has been used in several ways since. In 1588 it became a stable, and only a year later it became a factory for bronze cannons. About 100 years later it finally became a church again, this time for protestants. This church is also of the The Hague Hall-type.

Location: Lange Voorhout 2

The Nieuwe Kerk ('new church') is a highly original example of early protestant church architecture from the 17th century; whereas for other churches often a more or less circular ground-plan was chosen, architect Pieter Noorwits for this church opted for two hexagonal spaces connected by a slightly narrower rectangular space where the pullpit was positioned, thus still complying to the protestant ideal of centralization. Construction of this church was started in 1648, the year of protestant victory in The Netherlands, and it was finished a year later.

Location: Spui 175

Although immediately after the 80-Years War ended in 1648, intolerance towards catholics was the Republic's official policy, economic motives prompted a different approach in the treatment of catholic foreigners. Therefore the legacies from France, Venice and Spain  were allowed to have a church or chapel as part of their embassees. None of these churches remain today, although here we see the tower of a successor to one of them, standing in the court of the former Spanish embassee. The church is dedicated to, and named after a Spanish saint, St. Theresia of Avila.

Location: Westeinde 12a

During the Reformation the catholic religion had been outlawed, but skies cleared up a little after French king Louis XIV invaded the Republic in 1672 and occupied part of it until 1674. To win the loyalty of the large catholic minority the government from that moment on allowed the catholics to gather in churches of their own, as long as these buildings weren't recognizable as such and the believers paid huge sums of money for this 'tolerance'. This is the Old-Catholic church, belonging to a denomination which owes its excistence to a schism in the Roman Catholic church in 1702. Behind this house-like facade a church with a Baroque interior is hidden. This interior was probably designed by Daniel Marot, a French protestant refugee and an important architect in his time.

Location: Juffrouw Idastraat 7a

 
The Lutheran church. On top are two weather-vanes shaped like swans, the symbol of the Lutherans. The first Lutheran church was opened in 1620. The current church dates from 1761 and was built on the same location.

Location: Lutherse Burgwal 9

The Walloon church is a building in very moderate neo-Classical style. Its construction was ordered by king Lodewijk Napoleon in 1807 as compensation for the restitution of the chapel of the castle to the catholics, a building the Walloon protestants had used until then.

Location: Noordeinde 23a-25

Standing in an alley that is overlooked easily is the German reformed church, a building in early Neo-Gothic style built in 1860-1861 after a design by architect H. Wentzel from Berlin.

Location: Bleijenburg 5

The former royal stables. At least, what is left of it, as only the facade has been spared from demolition, and now hides an office-building. The building was built in 1845-1846 and, after its replacement as the royal stables, became a church in 1856, the Willemskerk. It's a classic example of the early Neo-Gothic style and shows some clear influences from both English Gothicism and neo-Gothicism as they were introduced to architecture in The Netherlands by king Willem II. Especially the octagonal buttresses are noteworthy. Architect was either G. Brouwer or J.G.W. Merkes van Gendt.

Location: Nassaulaan 12

Although he was probably the most important and productive Dutch architect of the 19th century, P.J.H. Cuypers only designed one church for Den Haag. This is the H. Jacobus de Meerdere ('St. James Major'), built in 1875-1878. The building is so closely surrounded by other buildings it is hard to photograph properly. This space problem is not a new one, and to make as much use of the available space Cuypers had positioned the butresses inside the church rather than outside, this way allowing the walls to be built a bit further outwards.

Location: Parkstraat 65a

The Mennonite church is one of a few neo-Romanesque churches in the city built by the various protestant denominations in response to the more catholic neo-Gothicism. It dates from 1885-1886 and was designed by K. Stoffels.

Location: Paleisstraat 8

The O.L.V. Onbevlekt Ontvangen is often regarded the absolute highlight in the career of architect N. Molenaar. The design was inspired by the Notre Dame in Paris.

Location: Elandstraat 194

 
Another catholic church in neo-Gothic church is the St. Agnes. It dates from 1902-1903 and was designed by A.A.J. Margry and J.M. Snickers.

Location: Beeklaan 188

The St. Martha is another one of N. Molenaar's churches. It was mostly built in 1908-1909 but was completed in 1924 by the architect's son, N. Molenaar jr., who also added the tower.

Location: Hoefkade 623

The Roman Catholic St. Paschalis Baylon is a typical example of A.J. Kropholler's Traditionalistic style. It dates from 1919-1921.

Location: Wassenaarseweg 53

The Roman Catholic Kerk van de H. Familie ('Church of the Holy Family') dates from 1921-1922 and was designed by Jan Stuyt in a style that was inspired by early Romanesque churches in Germany.

Location: Kamperfoelieplein 29

The reformed Julianakerk is a late example of protestant Rationalism. It was designed by G. van Hoogevest and built in 1924-1926.

Location: Schalkburgerstraat 217

The First Church of Christ, Scientist is the only church desugned by architect H.P. Berlage that was actually built. The church dates from 1925-1927.

Location: Andries Bickerweg 1a-b

The Roman Catholic Kerk van het Allerheiligst Sacrament was built in 1925-1926 after a design by N. Molenaar jr..

Location: Sportlaan 127
 

The Bethlehemkerk is a reformed church in simple Expressionistic style. the church was designed by J.C. Meischke and P. Schmidt and dates from 1929-1931.

Location: Laan van Meerdervoort 627

Another church designed by N. Molenaar jr. is the St. Theresia van het Kind Jezus, which was built in 1930-1931.

Location: Apeldoornselaan 242