Delft continued

The Dutch royal family and Delft have a shared past and present.  All the royals are buried in crypts in the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) which is a Protestant church and was built around 1381.  Normally, they also get married there although the latest king, Willem-Alexande, must have broken hearts in Delft by marrying in Amsterdam.  The crypts are not accessible to the public these days except for the tomb and mausoleum of William of Orange which is shown in the second photograph below.

The New Church tower.  It is a very awe inspiring building and once again, very difficult to capture on a photograph especially on such a wet miserable afternoon.

Mausoleum of William of Orange the founder of the House of Orange.  Behind the seated figure is the statue of the slain prone monarch with his enormous dog at his feet.

The enormous chandeliers that help give the New Church its unusual light.  These are actually quite recent.  They were a gift to mark the church's 600th anniversary in 1981 but were produced using the same techniques used in the 17th century.

Less awe inspiring but no less impressive in my view are these electric foot warmers in the pews of the New Church.  If you experienced the temperatures of the Dutch summer, you may imagine the sufferings of the congregation in the winter.  

Inside the Oude Kerk (Old Church)  with its beautiful stain glass windows.  The figures in front seem to be a set of the entombed warriors from China and are part of some sort of exhibition.  Many churches in the Netherlands seem to hold art exhibitions as a way of attracting people to the churches which may not be able to remain open due to lack of attendance.

A small unobtrusive tombstone on the vast floor of the church marks the burial site of one of my favourite Dutch masters, Vermeer.