Organ in the Aa-kerk in Groningen  The west gallery organ in the Aa-kerk in Groningen was built by Arp Schnitger in 1699–1702. Originally built for the Academiekerk in Groningen it was moved to the Aa-kerk in 1815. Today it has 40 stops on three manuals and pedal, and is a momument of European significance. The Der Aa-kerk in Groningen in the Netherlands was built in its current cruciform shape in the late Gothic period, and was named after the neighboring river Aa. In 1475 an organ was built on the eastern wall of the south transept, rebuilt in 1558 by Andreas de Mare I. 1654 Theodorus Faber was commissioned, with Andreas de Mare II (whose relationship to the organ builder of the same name from the 16th century is not yet clear), to build a large new organ on the west wall, but Faber could not complete it before his death in 1659. Jacobus Galtus Hagerbeer completed this large instrument in 1667; it had 40 stops on three manuals and pedal. In 1671 this organ fell victim to a fire. Arp Schnitger built a new organ for the Aa-Kerk in 1694–97, his largest organ in the Netherlands; this was lavishly appointed and had over 40 stops on four manuals and pedal. For example, the facade pipes were made of pure East Indian tin and the bass octave had all twelve semitones. Schnitger himself wrote of this organ: "I did not spare anything and made everything wonderful; I provided, beyond the contract, 6 stops on a special windchest, and this organ still deserves a little more." This organ was destroyed in 1710 by the collapse of the tower. Only the original Schnitger sketch has survived. For about a hundred years, the church had to do without organ accompaniment. When the Academiekerk (University Church) in Groningen was given to the Roman Catholic community in 1814, its organ was donated to the Aa-Kerk thanks to a donation from King William I.. Schnitger had built this organ in 1699–1702, using several stops from the previous organ in the Academiekerk. The previous organ had been built by Hendrick Harmens van Loon and Andreas de Mare II in 1679, a large organ with 32 stops on three manuals and pedal; this in turn had re-used material from an even older organ.