All You Need to Know: St Peter’s Basilica in Oudenbosch

Before visiting our friend in Oudenbosch, the Netherlands, we had no idea that it has a local copy of the St Peter Basilica. To be exact, it is a 1/4 size replica of the famous Vatican dome in Rome. Right in the middle of, well, nowhere. Read on to learn more about this architectural feat in a tiny town!

Disclosure: This post might contain affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, it will not cost you anything extra, but we might get a small commission. Thank you for supporting us. To learn more, please read our full affiliate disclaimer page.

Where is this Copy of the St Peter’s Basilica?

Driving through the Southern part of the Netherlands, you might expect mostly agricultural fields and the occasional herd of cows. Maybe even a blue heron or some storks. But suddenly you notice a distant dome and you know you must be getting close to Oudenbosch.

In the tiny town of Oudenbosch, you can find this remarkable copy of some of the Vatican’s buildings. The “Basiliek H.H. Agatha en Barbara” is an 1/4 copy of the St Peter Basilique in Rome.

So what is the story behind such an elaborate basilique in a nowhere town in the Netherlands?

The Story of a Dutch Vatican

A Tiny Town With a Big Basilica?

History of Oudenbosch as a Trading Town

During the 13th century Oudenbosch received the rights to hold a market and started its journey to become an important trading town. In addition to the market, they operated a ferry service from Oudenbosch to Dordrecht. (which coincidentally is my home town)

Continuing the growth and wealth trend, Oudenbosch became an important link between Antwerp, Dordrecht and Bergen op Zoom. Though she be but little, she is fierce , Oudenbosch was an important connection on the trading routes.

Dream on! Pastor Willem Hellemons

In 1810, Willem Hellemons was born in Roosendaal, close to Oudenbosch. After studying in Rome and starting to serve as a pastor in Oudenbosch, he fondly remembered his time at the Vatican in Rome including the St Peter’s Basilica.

Since he was ordained in the nearby Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran close to the Vatican, he dreamt about bringing this magnificent Roman Catholic architecture to his Dutch parish.

In addition to his dream of an amazing basilica, he also got involved in recruiting young warriors to help the pope, the so-called Zouaves.

Roman Catholic Warriors: Papal Zouaves

During that time, Pope Pius IX was caught in the middle of the Italian unification and asked for volunteers to defend the Papal States. When he heard the call to arms, Pastor Willem Hellemons recruited many young men in the Netherlands. These volunteers were called the Papal Zouaves and the Dutch were the biggest contributors to this papal regiment.

These Dutch Zouaves went to “boot camp” in Institute Saint Louis in Oudenbosch. After training, they would travel to Italy by train and boat. You can visit the Zouaves museum and learn more about their history.

Dream until your dreams come true! The Dutch Vatican

In 1864, Pastor Willem Hellemons got papal approval to build his church. Its nave, dome and interior are modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica, while the façade is a replica of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, combining the pastor’s dream into a magnificent basilica.

In 1865, construction started, but it wasn’t fully completed until 1892. They named this church after Agatha of Sicily and Barbara of Nicomedia, two Christian martyrs from the third century. In 1912, it got designated a minor basilica.

Elements inspired by their counterparts in Rome include Michelangelo’s Pietà, Bernini’s baldachin, the Chair of Saint Peter, and Bernini’s Gloria.

The Architect of this Dutch St Peter’s Basilique

The actual design and implementation of the church was done by the famous Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers, who also designed the Rijksmuseum and the main Railway Station in Amsterdam.

Down to the very paintings on the inside of the dome, the basilica makes an effort to copy St. Peter’s. While the height of the church is not even half that of Saint Peter’s in the Vatican, and the internal space is 1/16 that of the larger church, it is still quite impressive.

This church with its classical Italian appearance is unlike other churches in Northern Europe, showing that one individual’s dream can lead to a surprisingly grand master work in a small Dutch town.

Sadly, Friar Willem Hellemons did not live long enough to see the basilica completed, but to this day, his dream lives on in this magnificent building.

Yeah, sing with me, sing for the year
Sing for the laughter, sing for the tear
Sing with me if it’s just for today
Maybe tomorrow the good Lord will take you away

Aerosmith: Dream On

Before You Go: Visit De Biecht (Confession)

When you get to Oudenbosch to see these two St Peter copies, don’t skip eating at Eetcafé De Biecht, a fantastic restaurant with affordable good food and local beer. In addition to good food, they provide a placemat with a list of sins to consider while you sip your beer…

Two Copies of St Peter’s Dome in Oudenbosch!

Wait, there is another copy of St Peter in the same nowhere town? Yes, indeed there is. In addition to his other dreams, Willem Hellemons dreamt about educating children.

In 1840, pastor Hellemons founded a monastic order to educate the youth of Oudenbosch (or at least the boys, since the common belief was that girls didn’t need education). The boarding school was run by the so-called Friars of St. Louis. It all starts on a small scale, but eventually they attracted students from all over the country because of its high level of education.

Although the Chapel of the Friars of St Louis was designed by the art teacher, it was based on the Oudenbosch Basilica, so basically another copy of the St Peter’s chapel and the façade of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

So Oudenbosch is the only place in the world where you can find two replicas of the St Peter’s Basilica within a stone’s throw of each other.

Are there Other Replicas of St Peter?

Of course, now that you have learned about these two copies, you might wonder if there are others. Yes, on three different continents. First a fun fact about the original: The St. Peter’s actually is NOT the original archbasilica of the pope. Instead, the papal archbasilica used to be Saint John Lateran. So the combination of these two churches in Oudenbosch makes sense from a historical point of view.

Canada: Mary Queen of The World

In Montreal, you can find the Cathedral of Marie-Reine-du-Monde. This is probably the most correct copy (1/3 sized) of St Peters Basilica because it copied more parts than any of the other replicas.

This Basilica also was built during the war between Italy and the Papal state. From Canada, more than 500 Papal Zouaves traveled to Rome to defend the state of the Pope.

Ivory Coast: Notre-dame de la paix.

In Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, you can find the Basilique Notre-dame de la paix, which became the largest church building in the world when it was completed in 1989. A year later, the pope came all the way from Rome to consecrate the Notre-Dame de la Paix.

The dome is based on the St Peter’s, but twice as big. Although the exterior of this church is bigger than the Rome Basilica, the interior seat capacity is about one third of the Vatican St Peter’s.

USA: Pennsylvania State Capital Dome

In researching other copies of the St Peter’s, I came across the Pennsylvania State Capitol. Looking forward to seeing it in real live when we hit it on our Visit all US State Capitols Quest!

Italy: Naples

Another Italian replica of St Peter’s is in Napoli: Basilica of the Incoronata Madre del Buon Consiglio. Miracles abound around this church. A local nun named “Maria di Gesù Landi” created a painting of the “Lady of Good Counsel” (Blessed Virgin Mary) In 1884, Maria’s painting apparently stopped an outbreak of cholera in Naples. In 1906, the same painting appeared to clear the ash clouds from an eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

The church was completed in 1940. Forty years later, an earthquake hit Napoli and toppled the head of the statue of the Madonna from the façade of the church to the ground. Miraculously, it survived its crash without any damage.

Conclusion: Copies of the St. Peter’s in Oudenbosch and Elsewhere

After reading this, I hope you learned a lot of interesting facts about the Dutch and other copies of the St Peter’s Basilica. Have you been to the original one in Rome? Did you know that there are copies all around the world? Maybe you have even been to one of the copies, please share in the comments and also let me know if there are copies I don’t know about.

The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.

Alice Morse Earle

Other Off The Beaten Path Locations around Oudenbosch

Since you are in the middle of nowhere anyway, here are some other fun Things To Do close to Oudenbosch.

• Discover Geeky Facts about Vincent van Gogh and visit van Gogh’s birth place in Zundert;
• Visit the former monastery garden Arboretum Oudenbosch;
• Explore Restaurants in Oudenbosch;
• The Dutch Zouaves Museum;
• Did you know how close you are to Zeeland? Visit The Best Off The Beaten Path Destinations in Zeeland.
• Not really close by, but why not visit The Goldfinch Painting? You know, the one from the famous book;
• In addition, go visit the historic Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam and eat at their award winning Goldfinch Brasserie.