St. Jakob's Church, Enschede

My trip to The Netherlands took me to Enschede but I went around three other cities: Arnhem, Amsterdam and The Hague. The only church I was able to enter was in Enschede. This was a Catholic Church (I checked) that was still functioning as a place of worship. Due to the wave of liberalism in Europe and particularly in countries like Germany, The Netherlands and France, many old churches of all denominations have been converted for other purposes. The Grote Kerk (literally Big Church), which was formerly dedicated to the apostle James the Great (Jakobus de Merdeere) at the center of Enschede (Oude Markt) is now a venue for musical performances and other events including weddings. Others became museums, offices and even homes.

St. Jakobus is located at the center of Enschede's old town and across from the bigger

The back of the church where lepers were supposedly given Holy Communion through holes in the walls.

The lighting inside the church was a bit gloomy for me. Perhaps the purple is consistent with Lent? I chanced upon the church being open during the afternoon of Maundy Thursday and the few people who appeared to be ushers of some sort seemed surprise to see me come in. I tried to be inconspicuous the short time I was there.

The interior was cavernous and I must admit I was in a hurry to take a few snapshots after my short prayer. Light filters through the windows to give natural lighting for the interior.

Here's another photo showing one of the side altars. I wanted to take more photos inside the church but I was afraid I would be offending the people there. Nevertheless, to their surprise again, I genuflected in the middle aisle towards the direction of the main altar.

I truly felt some sadness as I entered the church and sat there with practically only four people inside the building. I wondered and still wonder how many people go to church as St. Jakobus and whether the church will eventually go the way of the Grote Church. Searching for information on the internet, I read that there are few services now at St. Jakobus. The regular celebration of the Eucharist has been transferred to another church nearby Sint Jozef (or St. Joseph of Nazareth), which unfortunately I was unable to visit.

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