Restoration work
Kerk BinnensteBuiten. Foto: Edwin Wiekens
The Grote Kerk Breda is an important national monument, Top Monument of Brabant and icon of the city of Breda. And we want to keep it that way. That is why the maintenance and restoration work is continuous. Until 2027, we are carrying out a restoration programme on the outside of the church, the ambulatory. Every year the restoration work progresses further.
Restoration of the ambulatory
As part of the current restoration work, the ornaments of the ambulatory are being refurbished. The Grote Kerk Breda is largely built in the distinctive Brabant Gothic style, a building style that in the late 15th century evolved into the Renaissance – architecture that we also see in the church.
A sustainable and innovative process
The natural stone that we use can last for hundreds of years and is processed using the latest technology. Worn stones that are replaced during restoration are first reconstructed in their original shape with clay to then be 3D photographed. A robot then mills out the basic shape – down to the last details. After all, those final details remain human work.
Sculpting remains a craft
After the stone has been hewn to the correct shape by the milling machine, the final details are carefully applied by hand by a sculptor. The ornament is then given its so-called 'historical finish', endowing it with its character. This process is closely monitored by our restoration architect BBM and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands.
Check, check, double check
The restored stones are returned to their original position in the ambulatory directly from the stonemason's workshop. Before each phase of the restoration can be completed – the current restoration until 2027 has 10 phases – a check is carried out by the restoration architect, the contractor and all other stakeholders involved in the restoration.
