Spijk / Spyke

As was the case in the church at Feerwerd, a stone and brick plinth was unearthed in this church, as reported in Jakob B. Bronsema's De geschiedenis van de Nederlands Hervormde Andreaskerk te Spijk (Groningen) (1996) [NB: English-language text provided by Pol Herman]: "During the restoration in 1969-1970, various finds emerged that give a picture of the medieval church. Next to the foundations of the altar – equally distant from the north, south and west facades – a brick construction was found near the former entrances in both longitudinal facades. It is a remnant of a baptismal font plinth. The diameter of the structure is 2.20 m. It is partly still two bricks high, and is a bit messy. The recessed center is approx. 80 x 100 cm. Form and location characterize these types of finds as plinths for baptismal fonts. Such a find with an almost identical location was made in 1992 in the church of Feerwerd. Based on the height of the basement in relation to the floor heights, it can be noted that the pedestal does not date from the foundation time, plus minus 1225, of the church building. Partly in view of the level of the foundation of a side altar, the fourteenth or fifteenth century is considered a provisional date. The structures in the churches of Feerwerd and Spijk would not have carried a stone baptismal font, but a bronze one."