Like many churches in Friesland, St. Martin's Church was built on a terp, a heightened piece of land to protect whatever was on it from floods. Several churches had been standing on this spot before this one, although the terp had been at least two metres lower when the first church was built. The current church dates from the early 15th century and was named St. Martinus until the Reformation of 1580, when it was conficated for protestant use. Although it also served as a pilgrims church in memory of St. Boniface, who had been murdered nearby in the year 754.
Originally St. Martin was a one-aisled building in Gothic style. The northern side-aisle was added in the late-16th century and has round-topped windows. For the construction of this side-aisle stones were used of the abbey-church that was demolished in 1589 as a result of the Reformation, and that had been standing next to this church. The facade of the original aisle has a stepped gable, a 20th-century reconstruction of an old situation as known from old drawings. At the back, built directly against the choir, is a consistory with a facade dating from 1734.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.