Sint-Bavokerk (Church of St. Bavo), North Holland Province, The Netherlands
4.5 (1.115 reviews) Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent Ranking #6 in Haarlem Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Religious Sites
Simply breathtaking candlelight service
We visited St Bavo’s for the Easter Vigil service and the whole experience was just amazing. The church was candlelit and the atmosphere was just so peaceful and holy feeling. The service was in Dutch but that hardly mattered as it was so beautiful and the choir with the amazing acoustics made the whole experience just magical. We also visited the church in the daytime later in the week for the official tour as well so we got to experience it in a different way but it couldn’t top the candlelight service experience we had. One downside was that the organ was under construction so we didn’t get to view the massive organ. Also, weirdly, there was a carnival set up outside for kings day celebration for a week so getting pics of the outside is the church was difficult as it had carnival rides in the way! But visiting here for the Easter service was one of the highlights of our trip.
Address
Grote Markt 22, 2011 RD Haarlem The Netherlands
Mobile
Website
http://www.bavo.nl
Working hours
Monday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday : 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday :
Current local date and time now
Tuesday, May 14, 2024, 18:13
User Ratings
4.5 based on (1.115 reviews)
Reviews
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5Julie B 5:00 PM Apr 29, 2022
Simply breathtaking candlelight service
We visited St Bavo’s for the Easter Vigil service and the whole experience was just amazing. The church was candlelit and the atmosphere was just so peaceful and holy feeling. The service was in Dutch but that hardly mattered as it was so beautiful and the choir with the amazing acoustics made the whole experience just magical. We also visited the church in the daytime later in the week for the official tour as well so we got to experience it in a different way but it couldn’t top the candlelight service experience we had. One downside was that the organ was under construction so we didn’t get to view the massive organ. Also, weirdly, there was a carnival set up outside for kings day celebration for a week so getting pics of the outside is the church was difficult as it had carnival rides in the way! But visiting here for the Easter service was one of the highlights of our trip.
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5playmisty4me813 5:00 PM Jul 13, 2022
Amazing Architecture
I found this place through Rick Steve's guide to the Netherlands, and it helped us enjoy every interesting architectural and artistic flourish. Make sure you find the "pillar biters" and the column marking the shortest and tallest men in Haarlem. The dog whipper's chapel was cool and the plaque denoting that Mozart played the organ in this church at age 10. We sat and listened to the organ music for a few minutes and you can feel the vibrations through your feet. There are organ concerts twice per week but we didn't stay as it was an extra cost and we had already heard the organ playing. We were slightly disappointed that you can't see the working parts of the organ (where one would play the instrument). We grabbed some kibbeling from a stand outside in the market square, just mind the seagulls. We walked all around the exterior of the church. Make sure and check out the stalls around the outside of the church, too. Many are cheap souvenirs but we found a gem of an art gallery, too. This is an easy walk to the train station.
