Roman Catholic cemetery

Look around carefully and you will see more than just a cemetery. Here - on the highest spot in Oudenbosch - once stood the church of St Agatha. This medieval church was demolished in 1882. Demolishing such an ancient monument would be unthinkable now. But at the time, people simply thought it was too old, and especially too small for the large parish. Monument conservation hardly existed yet and the grand plans for the new Basilica of Oudenbosch attracted more interest. However, a small chapel St Agatha made from the stones of the church did come into being. Moreover, the name lives on in the naming of the Basilica Sts Agatha and Barbara.

The cemetery has been in use since 1440, but most of the
graves are no more than 150 years old. The grave of parish priest
Hellemons stands at the highest point of the cemetery,
on the site of the altar of the old church. It was made
by architect Peeters and made by stonemason Creton.
The Sacred Heart statue - on St Bernaerts Street - is by
Pastor de Wit unveiled on 15 August 1922. It was made
by J. Custers. A neo-baroque
arch made in the wall which was to connect to the
architecture of the basilica.