The story behind the Gouda Windows

If you walk across the Markt in Gouda and look up, you see the towers of St John's Church (Sint-Janskerk) rising above the rooftops. The church has watched over the city for five centuries. But its true wealth is inside: 72 stained-glass windows that rank among the most beautiful things humankind has ever made from glass, lead and light.

The longest church in the Netherlands

St John's Church measures 123 metres from front to back, making it the longest church in the Netherlands. It was built in the 15th and 16th centuries on the site of an earlier Romanesque church that burned down in 1361. Over the decades, the present Gothic church grew into the imposing building that still takes visitors' breath away today.

But it is not the stone walls that make St John's world famous. It is the windows.

72 windows, centuries of stories

The 72 stained-glass windows were installed between 1555 and 1603. The earliest windows, known as the Gouda Windows (Goudse Glazen), were donated by kings, nobles and church dignitaries from all over Europe. Each window tells its own story: biblical scenes, historical events and portraits of the donors themselves.

The windows were designed by the brothers Dirck and Wouter Crabeth, two Gouda masters whose work is regarded as the pinnacle of Dutch glass painting. Their technique, working with thick transparent layers of glass combined with finely painted details, was revolutionary at the time and remains unmatched to this day.

The Reformation and a unique miracle

In 1572, during the Reformation, churches throughout the Netherlands were plundered. Altarpieces were destroyed, statues smashed, valuables carried off. St John's suffered the same fate, but the windows were spared. Why? Because the windows could not be removed without destroying the church. The glass stayed, and so the windows survived the centuries.

That is the miracle of the Gouda Windows: they are original. Not restored beyond recognition, not moved to a museum. They still hang in the place they were made for, in the light that has always fallen through them.

From glass to name: the story of Gouds Glas

When you walk into Gouds Glas, you see the reference to the windows in everything. The name says it all: Gouds Glas, Gouda Glass. Not named after cheese or stroopwafels, but after the stained glass that makes St John's world famous.

The founders of the restaurant wanted to create a place that matches the atmosphere of the church across the Markt: warm, colourful, full of light and with a sense of history. A grand café where Gouda's stained-glass tradition can be felt, without it becoming heavy or museum-like.

You see that philosophy in the arch shapes that form the basis of the interior, in the gold tones that return everywhere, and in the way we cook: seasonal, honest and with an eye for detail. Just like the glaziers of old.

Visiting the church: practical details

St John's is open to visitors all year round. In the summer months there are regular guided tours that give extra background on the windows. An audio guide is available in several languages.

• Address: Achter de Kerk 16, Gouda
• Opening hours: Mon to Sat 9:00 to 17:00 (Nov to Mar until 16:00), Sun from 12:00
• Admission: Adults €5, children up to and including 12 free
• Walking distance from Gouds Glas: 2 minutes across the Markt

Discovering Gouda starts on the Markt

St John's, the Gouda Windows, the cheese market, the canals: Gouda has a richness that surprises many visitors. And in the middle of it all is the Markt, the square the city has revolved around for five centuries. We are there at number 40, ready to complete your day in Gouda.