Architecture & Windows

Church Architecture

The benefactors of Holy Trinity Church, Daniel and Jane Bingham and John and Sarah Twiss, employed the Utrecht architect Petrus Johannes Houtzagers (1857-1944) to design the church.  He was prominent in designing many public and private buildings in the city, and for the church of Holy Trinity he used a late neo-Gothic vernacular, building in his usual materials of brick and wood with dressed stonework. The design follows the traditional form of a nave, chancel and sanctuary, with an attached Sacristry or vestry, and whilst not large, has the proportions of mass and height you would find in any church in this tradition. It was also designed as an integral part of the area in which it sits, enhancing the conservation area of van Limburg Stirumplein.

The church foundation stone was laid on November 9, 1911 and the church was consecrated on the Sunday after Trinity, in June 1913.

The importance of the building is recognized in its designation as a municipal monument (gemeentelijk monument), one of thirty seven places of worship listed in the city. Houtzagers was also prominent in craft and arts training in the city, using his knowledge to good effect in the church interior accessing the best designers and craftsmen in sourcing the fine wooden choir stalls, chancel and altar and particularly the provision of stained glass.

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Stained Glass Windows

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Detail from the Window of the Angel announcing to the shepherds the birth of Christ

A prominent feature of Holy Trinity Church is our stained glass windows.  They illustrate important moments in the life of Christ, following the church seasons and main festivals from Christmas to Ascension. In this way the windows reflect the Word and Sacraments of this church’s worship.

The windows were all designed by one artist, Henry Thomas Bosdet, from the Channel Island of Jersey. The windows were commissioned between 1913 and 1925 as memorials and thank-offerings by the Twiss and Bingham families and other founder members of this church. Henry Bosdet was a famous stained-glass artist of the time and a cousin of Mrs Twiss.
If you are interested in the artist, there is a website dedicated to celebrating the life and work of Bosdet. You can click here to open it in a new tab.

Thank you to everyone who helped in the restoration of all of our church windows from 2009 to 2012 – there were many who helped through their generous donations and fund raising activities.

Plan of the Church with the Windows

Plan of ChurchClick the links to see the Windows

1. Shepherds hear the good news of Christ’s birth

2. The Adoration of the Magi (The Epiphany)

3. Simeon welcomes the infant Jesus as the Light of the world (The Presentation)

4. Jesus at 12 years old debating with teachers in the Temple

5. Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana (First Miracle)

6. Jesus’s Last Supper with his disciples (Maundy Thursday)

7. The Crucifixion of Jesus (Good Friday)

8. The Resurrection of Christ (Easter)

9. The Ascension of Christ into heaven

We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, 
an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 
2 Corinthians 5:1