Saint Willibrord church

From the beginning of church life in Heeswijk the Norbertines, also known as Premonstratensians, have played a leading role. Around 1250 Heeswijk already had a church dedicated to Saint Lambert. During the Dutch reformation Catholics were forbidden to practice their religion in public, and so a border chapel in Bedaf, 8 km away, was used for mass. Bedaf is located in the Land of Ravenstein, where the prohibition was not imposed. The church was served by the Norbertines of the Abbey of Berne. After 1672 the Norbertines were able to move into a barn church in Heeswijk and left Bedaf. The barn church in Heeswijk served until 1809 when the Catholics got their old parish church back. The present parish church was built in 1895, and the church building was dedicated to St. Willibrord in 1896. On 6 September 2020, the church was closed as a religious centre with a special ceremony.