Church of the Presentation of Mary

The neo-Gothic cruciform church, dedicated to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was built between 1896 and 1898 under the direction of architect and master builder Caspar Franssen from Tegelen (1860–1932). Franssen was a pupil of Pierre Cuypers, the renowned architect from Roermond. The new church replaces a medieval church dating from 1478, which was situated opposite the current building on Koningsplein. Above the porch, you can see a depiction of the Virgin Mary’s mother, Anna, ‘presenting’ her young daughter Mary to the high priests of the temple.

The building, which is covered with a slate roof, incorporates 17,000,000 stones (brick and natural stone). The stained-glass windows by Willem Hofhuizen date from the period 1898–1917. The windows in the transept depict scenes from the Bible and texts from the ‘Lord’s Prayer’. The west side sustained considerable damage during the Second World War. The windows on that side are therefore much more recent. 

In 2022, the original murals were revealed once again. Many works of art have been preserved from the fifteenth century, the period shortly after the church was built, and the 1980s.

The tower houses a carillon cast by Koninklijke Eijsbouts of Asten. The Mary Bell, dating from 1447 and cast by Jan van Venlo, forms part of this carillon, which is played weekly by carillonneur Roosmarie Seuntiëns.

More information about guided tours: https://www.landvandepeel.nl/en/region/asten/discover-asten/rondleidingen-asten