Cadzand (Zeeland, Netherlands)

Cadzand, a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland near the Belgian border, was once the seat of a Mennonite congregation. About 1580 Mennonites were already reported in the district of Cadzand, which at that time was an island (until by reclamation of land it became a part of Dutch Flanders in 1623). In 1629 the minister of the congregation was Bartholomeus van den Daele (also known as B. den Mulier). By 1657 the congregation had already acquired a simple meetinghouse near the village of Nieuwvliet, and after 1660 was generally known as Nieuwvliet, but sometimes also as Groede. Not much is known concerning the history of this congregation. In 1657 it was granted a charter by the States-General to perform the marriages of its members. The congregation became smaller and smaller; about 1670 there were 90 members; in 1730 barely 40. In the 17th century the congregation belonged to the Flemish branch; representatives from the congregation of Cadzand were present at the Flemish conference at Haarlem in 1649; and presumably the ministers of this congregation signed for "Zeelandt" the Flemish Confession of Faith at Dordrecht in 1632. During the time of the wars with France the congregation became impoverished. In 1712, and repeatedly later, it asked financial support from other congregations. In 1721 it was stated that the congregation consisted entirely of poverty-stricken members. To support a minister was for the congregation frequently difficult. From 1713 to about 1726 Roelof Agges Jonker (d. 1730) was minister here, but he was suspended because of misconduct. In 1733 it is known that both the congregation and the church building were in a deplorable condition. From 1735 to 1753 Joannes (Jan) Francken was the elder at this place, but was not an asset to the congregation. It is not surprising, therefore, that in 1754 the congregation began a serious deterioration. In 1758 the ministerial candidate N. Klopper served here several months, and after this the pulpit was vacant. Jan Nieuwenhuizen, minister at nearby Aardenburg, preached regularly at Nieuwvliet, 1765-1771. After his departure the services were suspended.

On 10 June 1779 the congregation at Aardenburg took over the debts and possessions of the Cadzand congregation, and the few remaining members joined the church at Aardenburg. The church building was razed in 1788.

Bibliography

Doopsgezinde Bijdragen (1879): 20; (1884): 108; (1889): 90-116.

Hoop Scheffer, Jacob Gijsbert de. Inventaris der Archiefstukken berustende bij de Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente to Amsterdam, 2 vols. Amsterdam: Uitgegeven en ten geschenke aangeboden door den Kerkeraad dier Gemeente: v. II, 1639-1676.

Maps

Map:Cadzand (Zeeland)

Author(s)	Nanne van der Zijpp
Date Published	1953

Cite This Article

MLA style

Zijpp, Nanne van der. "Cadzand (Zeeland, Netherlands)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1953. Web. 21 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cadzand_(Zeeland,_Netherlands)&oldid=126170.

APA style

Zijpp, Nanne van der. (1953). Cadzand (Zeeland, Netherlands). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Cadzand_(Zeeland,_Netherlands)&oldid=126170.

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Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 489. All rights reserved.

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