Gruizenkerkje

In 1609 the Protestant congregation was officially founded in Sittard by the appointment of the first pastor. It was only after religious freedom in 1632 that it became possible to build a church of its own and this was done by Johan Lemmens in 1634. At the time, the building was completely hidden between the rest of the buildings on the Gruisstraat. In 1680, after its destruction during the French occupation (1677), the church was rebuilt. In 1684 the bell tower was built and the ringing of the bell was officially allowed.

Over the years, the church has been changed and adapted several times, including by raising the floor in 1808. This was necessary to prevent the church from being flooded regularly. The cause was a disagreement between the church and a miller. Namely, there were two mills on the now enclosed stream running along the church, one near Drenth's flower shop and the other near City restaurant. This last miller closed the locks from time to time and then the church was flooded ...

Popularly, people spoke of the “geuzen clog” (this is due to the low tower and high roof). The church tower was then raised, so that a ringing bell could be placed and bell ringing was possible from then on. During the penultimate restoration from 1975 to 1978, everything was restored to its original state, from 1835. This is still visible in the brickwork on the side: the entrance was then on the side and there were several, small windows. At the same time, the half-timbered houses from 1593 were restored, they were apparently not destroyed during the French Occupation, and what used to be two separate houses, now became one. The half-timbered houses came into use by the Protestant community and were used as a vestry, for meetings, etc. Despite the fact that the church and the half-timbered houses were free, between all the shops, many did not notice that there was a church here, let alone that one had been inside.

In the past, both buildings were barely visible, now they present themselves as a gem in the city center !! Today, restaurant G7 Food & Drinks is located here, where you can enjoy pure, honest dishes of regional origin for a good price-quality ratio.