Gasthuiskapel - Den Oever

The small wooden building at Gasthuisstraat 52 is closely linked to the Zuiderzee works, but has nothing to do with the original Gasthuiskapel. The historic Gasthuiskapel of Den Oever can now be viewed in the Zuiderzee Museum in Enkhuizen.

This chapel was originally connected to a gasthuis, a charitable institution that existed as early as the 14th century. Residents of Den Oever attended church here for centuries. Around 1960, the 16th-century Gasthuiskapel was in a state of disrepair. In 1968, the building was demolished stone by stone and rebuilt as the first museum object in the Zuiderzee Museum.

There is no longer a church on the original site of the Gasthuiskapel in Den Oever. The former almshouse is still there, but no longer serves as an almshouse. The current “chapel” on Gasthuisstraat was originally used as accommodation for the dyke workers of the Zuiderzee Works.


At the request of Catholic believers, the shed was moved from the Oude Zeug work island to Gasthuisstraat, where it was put into use as a church building. Today, the wooden building is used as a community centre.

Photo: ©Kenneth Stamp, Municipality of Hollands Kroon