Lopik (U): reformed church
The village of Lopik
was first mentioned in 1155. In that period Lopik is known to have had
a church called Sanctus Salvator which however possibly had
one or several predecessors. From the 12th century church only
some parts remain in the walls of the choir. In ca.
1425 the church was replaced by a big cruciform church with a
tall tower. Despite its size, the nave of the church was only one aisle
wide.The church became protestant in 1590. In 1576 the spire had burned down, and its replacement suffered the same fate in 1636. A few years later it was replaced once more. The tower suffered some damage after the French invasion of 1672 and was restored in 1688. At the end of the 18th century the tower leaned about a meter towards the south-west. In 1794 the spire, which had been renewed in 1780, was demolished and the tower itself shortened with four meters. In 1797 the tower was shortened with another 7 meters. The remaining part of the tower was eventually demolished in 1818, as well as the four western traves of the nave. The truncated church was closed with a new facade with a short wooden tower on top. Despite several restorations, the church became in a bad state in the rest of the century. In 1876 the southern transept wall was plastered with portland cement. In 1964 a thorough restoration began which asted until 1967. Part of the process was the complete replacement of the facade and tower.
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