The O.L. Vrouw ten Hemelopneming (Our Lady Assumption) is Doetinchem’s main catholic church. It was preceded by a much smaller neo-Gothic church in the centre of the town, built in 1860 and designed by H.J. Wennekers. When Doetinchem expanded in south-eastern direction, the opportunity was taken to build a new, larger church outside the centre. The new church was designed by H.W. Valk and is a typical example of his style and ideas. In many ways this church is a bigger version of the one Valk built in Beek en Donk (NB) a little earlier. It’s a christocentric church, meaning that the altar is at the crossing and not in the choir, which therefore is relatively short. A big crossing-tower marks the location of  the altar and provides it with light, while the absence of pillars in the nave, the side-aisles only serve as passages, ensures an unlimited view at the altar. The transept-arms are wide and long and serve as extensions of the nave, rather than chapels. The church is built in a Traditionalist style, combining elements of Romanesque and Gothic and using handmade bricks of a size similar to those used in the early Middle Ages. Especially the tower looks almost medieval and was probably inspired by actual Gothic examples, most possibly in Valk's native province of Noord-Brabant.