Fort Church - Willemstad, Curacao
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 12° 06.283 W 068° 56.067
19P E 507132 N 1338133
Fort Church is located in the southwest corner of Fort Amsterdam in Willemstad, Curacao
Waymark Code: WMXVM0
Location: Curaçao
Date Posted: 03/03/2018
Views: 11
Fort Amsterdam was constructed in 1634 by the Dutch West India Company. It served as a military fort but also as the headquarters of the Dutch West India Company in Curacao. Construction of a Protestant church began in 1763 on the site of a warehouse. Because of financial problems the church was not completed until several years later. The date of construction is prominently displayed on the facade of the church - ANNO 1769. A second date appears on the cupola, 1903, which is the year the Fort Church was restored.
The church was originally associated with the Netherlands Reformed Church. In 1825, King Willem I decided, for European political reasons, to unite the Reformed and Lutheran church into the United Protestant Church.
In 1804 the British invaded Curacao. A cannonball fired by British captain John Bligh, of HMS Theseus, hit the church. The cannon ball is still embedded in the upper left side of the wall of the Fort Church.
Year of construction: 1769
Full inscription:
ANNO 1769
Cross-listed waymark: Not listed
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