The Niewe Kerk (New Church), Delft. [Wikipedia]: A vision In January 1351 a beggar, an eccentric by repute, fell to his knees on the market square in Delft. His name was Brother Simon. According to the ‘Beschrijvinge der Stadt Delft’ (Description of the Town of Delft) dating from 1667, a certain Jan Col brought him some food. He was addressed by Simon with the words: “My dearly beloved friend, dost thou not see the Heavens open?” Both looked towards the sky and, according to tradition, saw a golden church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The beggar died soon after, but for the next thirty years on the same day of January, Jan Col continued to see a brilliant light shining on the spot indicated by Brother Simon. He was convinced that a church should be built in that place. When two deeply devout Beguines supported his request and one of them, moreover, bore the stigmata of Christ on the cross, the town council agreed to the construction of a church on that spot. It was not until it was actually built and consecrated that the annual vision of Jan Col disappeared. Wooden church The church which rose up on the market square following the visions of Brother Simon and Jan Col was the second parish church in Delft and was called the ‘Nieuwe Kerk’ (New Church). The original church was a temporary wooden building around which the basilica, as we know it today, was built over a period of a century. The wooden church, which remained until 1420, was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. While the brick basilica was still under construction, St. Ursula became the second patron saint of the Nieuwe Kerk.