The Old or Pilgrim Fathers Church (Oudekerk or Pilgrimvaders Kerk in Dutch) is in the old district of Delfshaven, and has a history that dates back to 1472, when the Roman Catholic church of St. Anthony was consecrated on this site. Later, in 1608, a group of English religious dissenters fled to the Netherlands to found their own religious community and then in July 1620, they decided to head to America—the famous Pilgrims who founded the Plymouth Colony. According to legend, at least, the Pilgrims knelt down in prayer on the quay near the church, which was later named after them. An extensive renovation of the church occurred in 1998.
