Great Church or Saint Nicholas Church

This Great Church, of cathedral dimensions, is one of Edam's proudest possessions.
It is not known exactly when the church was founded, but it was definitely after the Kleine Kerk and probably at the beginning of the 15th century. Edam suffered two very extensive fires in 1602 and 1699, both of which were caused by lightning striking the church tower. When rebuilt, the height of the tower was purposely reduced by 11 metres to make it less vulnerable to another hit by lightning.  The wall anchors, in the shape of numerals, suggest that this was completed in 1701.
Special features: The stained glass windows - all donated after the fire of 1602 by the important towns of Amsterdam, Leiden, Dordrecht, and Haarlem; the wooden vaulted ceiling; the inscription of the Ten Commandments; the hieroglyphs on the gravestones in the floor ('hand marks'); the beautiful oak choir screen; the fine brass work distributed around the church; and the great organ - built in 1663 by Barend Smit from Hoorn.
You can visit the church from 2 April to 23 October between 1.30 pm and 4.00 pm.