Zuiderkerk (Enkhuizen)
The Zuiderkerk, also called Sint-Pancraskerk is a late Gothic hall church in Enkhuizen, in the Netherlands, currently used by the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. History In 1422 the citizens of Enkhuizen received permission from John III, Duke of Bavaria, to tear down the old church of Oostdorp, a village outside the Westfriese Omringdijk (the dyke that protects the area) that had flooded. The new church was dedicated to Pancras of Rome, and building commenced in 1422 or 1423 in a patch of reed. It was reported that the building site had to be raised considerably, and that the walls were as high as the foundation walls were deep. It was mostly finished by 1458; the upper part of the 75-meter tall tower was finished in 1524, but by 1595 the tower was leaning six or seven feet and had to be set straight. Church and tower still dominate the cityscape. The tower is owned by the city of Enkhuizen and was restored and renovated in 1992. One of the church's more notable preachers was Cornelis Cooltuyn, known as the "father of the Dutch Reformation". He became pastor of the Zuiderkerk in 1555, when Balthazar Platander, still loyal to the