Almost 600 years ago, the cat was bricked into the wall of the Grote Kerk Breda. The builders probably did that to protect the church and scare away evil spirits. We call that a building sacrifice.
Mummy cat
Almost 120 years ago, during the restoration of the Grote Kerk Breda in 1906, the builders made an extraordinary discovery: a mummified cat was found bricked in between two walls. A mysterious find, which remained a mystery for years...
But now we know more. Research shows that with 95% certainty, this cat is as old as the church itself. This means it was bricked in around the time the church was built, probably as a building offering - an ancient custom to enforce protection and prosperity. After ‘disappearing’ for a while, the cat is back in the church. And from June onwards it can be admired again.
About 500 years later, during construction work, the cat was recovered. All this time, the animal had been lying between two walls in a tower on the north side of the church. The animal had become a veritable mummy. The builders removed the cat from the wall. The mummy cat ended up in the house of the restoration architect, Mr M. A. Nieukerken. The cat was accompanied by a note:
"We have carefully preserved the mummy and it hangs as a curiosity behind glass in the vestibule of my house, where it always attracts attention and I repeatedly have to tell the story of how we came to have this curiosity, which has already been requested at cat exhibitions."
At The Hague Zoo, plenty of meowing sounded during the cat exhibition. From far away, proud owners came to the zoo to show their cats to the public. Although one of the cats was quiet as a mouse, it attracted a lot of attention: the mummy cat was a curiosity on display.
The Grote Kerk Breda received a mysterious message from the Huys te Warmond Foundation. This is where the mummy cat was discovered in the attic. The owners of Huys te Warmond would love for the cat to return to the church after years of wandering.
"We believe it would be appropriate for this cat to return to the church he/she was apparently a visitor to in life."
The Grote Kerk Breda conducted extensive research on the mummy cat, involving several experts. The cat was compared with old photos, went under a special CT scanner and carbon dating was done. What emerged? With over 95% certainty, the cat is almost 600 years old and is therefore really the mummy cat of the Grote Kerk Breda. Now we know that the mummy cat comes from the same time as the construction of the part of the church where the cat was found: the period from 1440 to 1460.
The Grote Kerk Breda is looking for a new name for the mummy cat. All upper secondary pupils of primary schools in and around Breda can submit their ideas. On Wednesday morning, 18 June, the new name of the mummy cat will be festively unveiled. From then on, the mummy cat can be viewed by the public.
