Veenendaal

Monumenten in Nederland. Utrecht, Rijksdienst voor de Monumentenzorg, Zeist / Waanders Uitgevers, Zwolle 1996, page 285 reports that the lower base of a stone baptismal font is used as support for the wooden of 1750 . The piece, said to be octagonal, is actually decagonal and has moulded sides; it is unlikely from the font of this mid-16th century church, and it could be of a later date as well. A later communication from Pol Herman to BSI (e-mail of 20 February 2022) comments on the above object and its description: Some time ago, I sent you information about the Oude Kerk (Saint Salvator) at Veenendaal. [...] A) concerning source 1 : Monumenten in Nederland. Utrecht, Rijksdienst voor de Monumentenzorg, Zeist / Waanders Uitgevers, Zwolle 1996, page 285 In the interior is a simple pulpit from 1750, resting on a stone base that comes from an earlier baptismal font. His commentary : the church was consecrated in 1566, and the building was finished in 1572. This was the first church at Veenendaal. At the consecration, the church had a baptismal font of which nothing is known (see point 3 here under). In 1637, the existing pulpit was demolished. It was replaced by the pulpit of the Cunera church of Rhenen (that was moved to Veenendaal). This spacious pulpit stood on a big and very heavy white foot. Therefore, two loads were needed to achieve the transportation from Rhenen to Veenendaal. This event is well documented by Van Manen, in his book “Aanzienlijk vlek in ‘t Stichtse”, when he mentions the year 1637 on pages 134/135. In Veenendaal, there exists no evidence that this white foot was ever related to a font. In the archives, there is an offer for a new pulpit, dated around 1700. The offer suggests that this new pulpit would be equipped with a wooden support. It is not known if this project was ever realized. Van Manen and local historian Adriaan P. de Kleuver mention that during the last restoration of the church, in 1962, a ten-sided white sandstone base was unearthed, and put under the pulpit when the pulpit was moved to its new location inside the church. It is not known if this object was the white foot of 1637, or if it has another origin. Conclusion : There is no indication that this sandstone ten-sided object is related to a font. If it were from a font, I would personally expect it to be octagonal. Because it is sandstone, it is certainly not “Belgian”. 2) Let’s check with the history of the Cunera church in Rhenen. You can walk through the Cunera church on https://www.cunerakerk.nl/ The present metal font is in the baptismal chapel on the right, when you enter the church. In annexed document, it is mentioned that a new pulpit was ordered in 1580/1581. The canopy for the pulpit was delivered a year later together with “the stone”, this probably being the baptismal font. Or was it the “white sandstone foot” ? At Rhenen, I find no mention of the move of this font to Veenendaal in 1637. The present pulpit at Rhenen dates from 1676, because the older one was burned by the French in 1673. 3) Source 2 : Voorlopige lijst der Nederlandsche monumenten van geschiedenis en kunst. Deel I De provincie Utrecht, 1908: The bluestone base of the baptismal font stands as a spur post on the corner of Hoofdstraat and Hoogstraat, at Veenendaal. There is no trace of this object.