Heuvelse kerk

Heuvelse kerk
Sint-Jozefkerk
Western facade
Heuvelse kerk is located in North Brabant
Heuvelse kerk
Heuvelse kerk
Location within North Brabant
51°33′28.3″N 5°05′29.2″E / 51.557861°N 5.091444°E / 51.557861; 5.091444
LocationTilburg, North Brabant
CountryNetherlands
DenominationCatholic Church
History
StatusChurch
DedicationSaint Joseph
Consecrated1 July 1889
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationRijksmonument (no. 35713)
Designated3 August 1976
Architect(s)Hendrik van Tulder
Architectural typeCruciform basilica
StyleNeo-Gothic
Years built1871–1873, 1887–1889
Construction costfl. 195,000
Specifications
Height72 m (236 ft)
Administration
Diocese's-Hertogenbosch
Parish– St. Jozef (1874–2012)
– De Goede Herder (since 2012)

The Heuvelse kerk (Heuvel church; also Sint-Jozefkerk) is a neo-Gothic Catholic church in the center of the Dutch city Tilburg. Dedicated to Saint Joseph, it is one of two major Catholic churches in the city center together with the Heikese kerk. It is located along the square Heuvel, after which it is named. A 1921 statue of the Sacred Heart is located in front of the building.

Construction of the church was divided into two phases due to financial constraints. The first part of the Heuvelse kerk was built in the period 1871–73, while the second phase took place between 1887 and 1889 and included the current front facade with its two towers. The church was consecrated in 1889 by the bishop of the Diocese of 's-Hertogenbosch. It was built in the garden of a barracks and was meant to accommodate Tilburg's increasing population. The barracks were renovated simultaneously to become a clergy house. The only major adjustment to the original building, designed by Hendrik van Tulder, was an extension of both transepts in the 1950s.

The Heuvelse kerk has the floor plan of a cruciform basilica. Its most prominent exterior feature are the two towers with their height of 72 metres (236 ft). Three portals in the front facade contain entrances, the central one being decorated with a relief showing the flight into Egypt. A copper-gilded statue of Saint Joseph sits on top of a gable between the towers. The interior is covered by a four-part rib vault and includes two organs and a winged altarpiece by Hendrik van der Geld, created between 1878 and 1881. Frescos of the Stations of the Cross were painted two decades after the church's inauguration by Georges de Geetere.

In 2019, the parish announced plans to sell the Heuvelse kerk, but the bishop has postponed those plans.