The church was built as a
Roman Catholic Church between 1449 and 1525. In 1621 a wooden
spire was added to the tower, designed by
Hendrick de Keyser. Poor quality of its wood caused the spire to be demolished in 1645. A stone cube was added to the tower, though it proved too heavy for the foundation in 1650. New piles were driven under the tower and in 1655 the tower stood straight again. The
basilica was the first all-stone building in Rotterdam. The last priest of the Laurenskerk was Hubertus Duifhuis. The
Reformation took place in 1572 and the Laurenskerk became a Protestant church. Ministers of the church include Laurens
Johannes Jacobus van Oosterzee, Abraham Hellenbroek, Jan Scharp and J.R. Callenbach, who wrote a book about the history of the church a few years before the
Rotterdam Blitz. The church is still used for worship of the Protestant Church. In the Rotterdam Blitz on May 14, 1940, the Laurenskerk was heavily damaged, with only the tower and walls surviving. At first there were calls to demolish the church, but that was stopped by Queen
Wilhelmina. The provisional National Monuments Commission had both supporters and opponents of restoration. In particular, committee member and architect
J. J. P. Oud opposed rebuilding in 1950 and presented an alternative plan which would preserve only the tower. Next to the memorial a new, smaller church would be built. This alternative plan was rejected, particularly because restoration of the Laurenskerk was viewed as a symbol of the resilience of Rotterdam's community. In 1952, Queen
Juliana laid the foundation stone for the restoration, which was completed in 1968. In 1971 the
Laurenspastoraat community was established as part of the Reformed Church of Rotterdam in order to resume church services. The community received a
Cross of Nails replica from Coventry Cathedral in order to become a local center for peace and reconciliation. In 1981 the liberal
Maaskant/Open Grenzen community joined the church and since then the two communities alternate their services. Delftse Vaart and the St Laurens church in Rotterdam, by Cornelis Springer.jpg|The church and its surroundings in 1621–1645 Blaak, Kolk, Oude Haven, Laurenskerk in Rotterdam Map Detail by Frederick De Wit c1690.jpg|Map with Sint Laurenskerk in 1690 Het verwoeste Hang met de Steigersgracht en Sint-Laurenskerk 1940.jpg|Rotterdam's city centre and the church after the bombing in 1940 Rotterdam, Laurenskerk, na bombardement van mei 1940.jpg|The church and its surroundings in 1943–1945 GraphyArchy - Wikipedia 00220.jpg|The church and its surroundings in 2016 Vaults of Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk (Rotterdam) Netherlands photographs taken on 2025-04-23, 2025 in Rotterdam.jpg|Interior view ==References==