In 1592, King Philip II of Spain had issued a warning about increased witchcraft and called on the ecclesiastical and secular authorities to stamp out sorcery.
In 1592, King Philip II of Spain had issued a warning about increased witchcraft and called on the ecclesiastical and secular authorities to stamp out sorcery.
The series of witch trials in Peelland, which were conducted around 1595, spread from the Peel to the Meierij van ‘s-Hertogenbosch. This area was located in the Spanish Netherlands and fell under the authority of Brussels.
The trials were conducted by local aldermen’s benches and feudal courts.
Some of the accused were subjected to the water test during the trials.
If they didn’t pass it, they were tortured. Often, however, they confessed before the torture. A woman also died during the torture. During the torture, the accused were forced to admit that they had made a heretical alliance with the devil and even had sexual intercourse with him and danced with him during the Witches’ Sabbaths, along with other witches. They were forced to mention the names of those other witches. This created a chain of processes. A total of 38 women and 2 men are accused in three months: in the end 25 women are said to have died, 23 of which were burned at the stake.
The interior of the Sint-Jan provides an oasis of tranquility. After entering, the twelve apostles on the pillars lead you with their eyes to the high choir. The richly decorated pulpit from the middle of the 16th century stands proudly against a pillar in the middle of the nave of Saint John on the south side. On the gable side of the side aisles in the interior of St. John’s are niches, the candles that burn in front of the statues of the saints standing behind the fresh-smelling flowers with the beautifully carved scenes in wood on a prayer bench. The tombstones of, among others, prominent citizens of ‘s-Hertogenbosch can be found in the floor. Looking up, one sees the cathedral’s beautifully painted vault with the original English red on the ribs, which are supported by slender pillars. These ensure that a maximum of outside light can enter the interior of the Sint Jan through the beautiful stained glass windows.
