On the advice of Pastor Van Gogh, the Dutch Reformed Congregation purchases an old cottage in 1863, next to the Protestant church. Vincent's father wanted to use it as the verger's house. He raised money within the Protestant community to have the building refurbished. The Van der Hoeven and Van de Wall families donated generously. Theodorus himself contributed the sum of ten guilders, which was a considerable sum at the time. Thus, the house was converted into a verger's residence.
Young Vincent experiences this up close. He regularly visited the sexton. Years later he returned once more after learning that the verger's father-in-law, the elder Jan Aertsen, was dying. He did not hesitate for a moment and hurried to Zundert: "Saturday evening I left Dordrecht with the last train to Oudenbosch and walked from there to Zundert. There in the heath it was so beautiful, though it was dark, one could still discern how those heathlands and mast forests and marshes stretched far and wide. It reminded me of that picture of Bodmer hanging in Dad's study. The sky was gray, but the evening star shone between the clouds and now and then other stars could be seen. It was still very early when I got to the cemetery in Zundert, where it was so quiet. I went to see once more all the old places and paths and waited for the rising of the sun. Thou knowest the story of the Resurrection, everything reminded me of it this morning in that silent cemetery.
When he knocked at the verger's house in the morning, he heard from his son that Aertsen had already died. He was laid to rest in the welfare farm on Tiggelt in Rijsbergen. Vincent walks there. He describes the sight of the deceased: "It will be unforgettable to me, that noble head lying there on the pillow and in which one saw at the signs of suffering an expression of peace and something holy. Oh, it was so beautiful, I would say it spoke of all the peculiarity that this country has and the life of this Brabant people.'
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the old sexton's house is again in poor condition and in danger of being demolished. Thanks to efforts of the local community, it is saved and fully restored. Next door, a modern studio is built. Since 2011, this place has been in use as a guest studio for artists who stay here and work in the spirit of Van Gogh.
