Ja­co­bi­kerk | St. Ja­mes’ Church

The Medieval Jacobikerk (St. James’ Church) was one of Utrecht’s four parish churches (along with the Buurkerk, Nicolaïkerk and Geertekerk). Nowadays, the church is used by the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.

History
This parish church was founded as early as the 12th century, but the oldest parts of the current church date back to the mid-13th century. In the centuries that followed, the church was renovated several times to keep up with the needs of a growing population. Its current hall church layout dates back to the 15th century, and through the course of all the renovations the tower has come to be situated in the centre of the church.

The name of the church refers to the apostle James the Greater (‘Jacobus’ in Dutch). The church is on a pilgrim’s route that leads to Santiago de Compostela. The scallop shell that is the symbol of the pilgrimage can be found in several places in the church, including on the vane on the church tower, which has the shape of a shell.

During the Iconoclastic Fury in 1566, the Jacobikerk was not spared, and in 1580 the church definitively became Protestant.

Church services
There are three services in the Jacobikerk: a morning service, a noon service and an evening service. Every Sunday, worshippers come together at 10 am and 5 pm. In addition, once a fortnight there is a more small-scale, accessible evening service. The evening service starts at 7:30 pm.