Hofje Van Willem Heythuijsen - Heythuijsen Grave in The Bavokerk

Heythuijsen Grave in The Bavokerk

Willem van Heythuijsen was buried in the Sint-Bavokerk in the center of Haarlem, a practice that resulted in the term stinking rich, until laws forbade burials inside churches for hygienic reasons. After his sister died, his two houses on the Oude gracht were sold, as was his summer home on the Spaarne. The summer home "Middelhout" was sold to Hendrik van Vladeracken, brother-in-law to Rosterman. Their daughter Susanna became a regent of the hofje and lived to be 90. Thanks to her legacy, the hofje underwent repairs and a painting was made to honor her that is now in the posseion of the Frans Hals Museum. Today Middelhout is called Sparenhout and is an old age home.

The proceeds of the van Heythuijsen estate were used to convert the orchard and the gardener's houses of Middelhout into a hofje with room for twelve pensioners, and enough money was left over to make donations to the Oudemannenhuis (currently the location of the Frans Hals Museum), the Diaconie (currently the location of the Police station), and to the city of Weert for founding a poor house there as well. To provide income for the hofje, more land was purchased just North of this hofje outside the city walls in an area called Rozenprieel, which generated income from rents.

From his clothing in the paintings and his donations, we can conclude that Willem van Heythuijsen was Catholic, in a time when the ruling majority in Haarlem was Protestant. He became a member of the Dutch Reformed church in 1613 with a note of proof from Cologne.

Unlike many other hofjes, this hofje accommodated both male and female inhabitants, until it switched to only female inhabitants in the 18th century. The hofje was built on the border with Heemstede, and the regent's room was South of the rest of the complex on Heemstede land. For centuries a stone border marker was situated in front of the entrance. In 1927 Haarlem annexed a large portion of Heemstede and the marker was removed. It is now in the garden of the Frans Hals Museum.

Address: Kleine Houtweg 135