diff --git a/src/org/rascalmpl/exceptions/RascalStackOverflowError.java b/src/org/rascalmpl/exceptions/RascalStackOverflowError.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..cecee677b0d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/org/rascalmpl/exceptions/RascalStackOverflowError.java
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+/*******************************************************************************
+ * Copyright (c) 2024 CWI
+ * All rights reserved. This program and the accompanying materials
+ * are made available under the terms of the Eclipse Public License v1.0
+ * which accompanies this distribution, and is available at
+ * http://www.eclipse.org/legal/epl-v10.html
+ *
+ * Contributors:
+
+ *   * Jurgen J. Vinju - Jurgen.Vinju@cwi.nl - CWI
+*******************************************************************************/
+package org.rascalmpl.exceptions;
+
+import org.rascalmpl.ast.AbstractAST;
+import org.rascalmpl.interpreter.env.Environment;
+
+/**
+ * This class captures the runtime state of the interpreter at the moment
+ * we detect a java StackOverflowError. Since we can not use any stack depth
+ * at that moment to create a real Throw exception, we only copy the deepest
+ * environment and wrap it in here. Later on the level of the REPL, when the
+ * stack is completely unrolled, we can convert the stack trace to a Rascal trace.
+ */
+public class RascalStackOverflowError extends RuntimeException {
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = -3947588548271683963L;
+    private final Environment deepestEnvironment;
+    private final AbstractAST currentAST;
+ 
+    public RascalStackOverflowError(AbstractAST current, Environment deepest) {
+        this.deepestEnvironment = deepest;
+        this.currentAST = current;
+    }
+
+    public Throw makeThrow() {
+        StackTrace trace = new StackTrace();
+        Environment env = deepestEnvironment;
+
+        while (env != null) {
+            trace.add(env.getLocation(), env.getName());
+            env = env.getCallerScope();
+        }
+
+        return RuntimeExceptionFactory.stackOverflow(currentAST, trace);
+    }
+
+    public Environment getEnvironment() {
+        return deepestEnvironment;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/org/rascalmpl/library/lang/rascal/tests/basic/Functions.rsc b/src/org/rascalmpl/library/lang/rascal/tests/basic/Functions.rsc
index fec17b3fa7d..3e5d6930ff4 100644
--- a/src/org/rascalmpl/library/lang/rascal/tests/basic/Functions.rsc
+++ b/src/org/rascalmpl/library/lang/rascal/tests/basic/Functions.rsc
@@ -588,3 +588,14 @@ test bool innerAndOuterFunctionUseSameParameterName4(){
     
     return outer("a") == 3;
 }
+
+test bool stackoverflow() {
+    int f(int i) = f(i);
+
+    try {
+        f(1);
+        return false;
+    }
+    catch StackOverflow():
+        return true;
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/org/rascalmpl/repl/RascalInterpreterREPL.java b/src/org/rascalmpl/repl/RascalInterpreterREPL.java
index 17febce23d5..8d5fc877626 100644
--- a/src/org/rascalmpl/repl/RascalInterpreterREPL.java
+++ b/src/org/rascalmpl/repl/RascalInterpreterREPL.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 import java.util.function.Function;
 import java.util.stream.Collectors;
 
+import org.rascalmpl.exceptions.RascalStackOverflowError;
 import org.rascalmpl.exceptions.StackTrace;
 import org.rascalmpl.exceptions.Throw;
 import org.rascalmpl.ideservices.IDEServices;
@@ -152,6 +153,10 @@ public IRascalResult evalStatement(String statement, String lastLine) throws Int
             parseErrorMessage(eval.getErrorPrinter(), lastLine, "prompt", pe, indentedPrettyPrinter);
             return null;
         }
+        catch (RascalStackOverflowError e) {
+            throwMessage(eval.getErrorPrinter(), e.makeThrow(), indentedPrettyPrinter);
+            return null;
+        }
         catch (StaticError e) {
             staticErrorMessage(eval.getErrorPrinter(),e, indentedPrettyPrinter);
             return null;
diff --git a/src/org/rascalmpl/semantics/dynamic/Expression.java b/src/org/rascalmpl/semantics/dynamic/Expression.java
index 9d4d6d9db59..a7f7b5e6d12 100644
--- a/src/org/rascalmpl/semantics/dynamic/Expression.java
+++ b/src/org/rascalmpl/semantics/dynamic/Expression.java
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 import org.rascalmpl.ast.Parameters;
 import org.rascalmpl.ast.Statement;
 import org.rascalmpl.exceptions.ImplementationError;
+import org.rascalmpl.exceptions.RascalStackOverflowError;
 import org.rascalmpl.exceptions.RuntimeExceptionFactory;
 import org.rascalmpl.exceptions.Throw;
 import org.rascalmpl.interpreter.IEvaluator;
@@ -542,12 +543,14 @@ public Result<IValue> interpret(IEvaluator<Result<IValue>> eval) {
 				catch (Failure | MatchFailed e) {
 				    throw RuntimeExceptionFactory.callFailed(eval.getValueFactory().list(actuals), eval.getCurrentAST(), eval.getStackTrace());
 				}
+				catch (StackOverflowError e) {
+					// this should not use so much stack as to trigger another StackOverflowError
+					throw new RascalStackOverflowError(this, eval.getCurrentEnvt());
+				}
 				return res;
 			}
-			catch (StackOverflowError e) {
-				e.printStackTrace();
-				throw RuntimeExceptionFactory.stackOverflow(this, eval.getStackTrace());
-			}
+			finally {}
+			
 		}
 
 		@Override
diff --git a/src/org/rascalmpl/semantics/dynamic/Statement.java b/src/org/rascalmpl/semantics/dynamic/Statement.java
index 8bedcc2bcd5..d9c472817de 100644
--- a/src/org/rascalmpl/semantics/dynamic/Statement.java
+++ b/src/org/rascalmpl/semantics/dynamic/Statement.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 import org.rascalmpl.ast.QualifiedName;
 import org.rascalmpl.ast.Target;
 import org.rascalmpl.ast.Type;
+import org.rascalmpl.exceptions.RascalStackOverflowError;
 import org.rascalmpl.interpreter.Accumulator;
 import org.rascalmpl.interpreter.AssignableEvaluator;
 import org.rascalmpl.interpreter.IEvaluator;
@@ -957,13 +958,50 @@ static public Result<IValue> evalStatementTry(IEvaluator<Result<IValue>> eval, o
 
 				if (!handled)
 					throw e;
-			} finally {
+			} 
+			catch (RascalStackOverflowError e) {
+				// and now we pretend as if a real Stackoverflow() value has been thrown, such that 
+				// it can be caugt in this catch block if necessary:
+				boolean handled = false;
+
+				for (Catch c : handlers) {
+					if (c.hasPattern() && isCatchStackOverflow(c.getPattern())) {
+					    IValue pseudo = e.makeThrow().getException();
+
+						if (Cases.matchAndEval(makeResult(pseudo.getType(), pseudo, eval), c.getPattern().buildMatcher(eval, false), c.getBody(), eval)) {
+							handled = true;
+							break;
+						}
+					}
+				}
+
+				if (!handled) {
+					// we rethrow because higher up the stack may be another catch block
+					throw e;
+				}	
+			}
+			finally {
 				if (finallyBody != null) {
 					finallyBody.interpret(eval);
 				}
 			}
 			return res;
 		}
+
+		private static boolean isCatchStackOverflow(org.rascalmpl.ast.Expression pattern) {
+			if (pattern.isVariableBecomes() || pattern.isTypedVariableBecomes()) {
+				return isCatchStackOverflow(pattern.getPattern());
+			}
+			else if (pattern.isCallOrTree()) {
+				var called = pattern.getExpression();
+				if (called.isQualifiedName()) {
+					var qname = called.getQualifiedName();
+					return pattern.getArguments().isEmpty() && "StackOverflow".equals(Names.consName(qname));
+				}
+			}
+			
+			return false;
+		}
 	}
 
 	static public class TryFinally extends