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Religious Sites in the Netherlands
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Agmetenkapel
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Town: Amsterdam
Address: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 231
Phone: +31 20 525 3339
e-mail: umeersileitsmuseitm@uvo.nl
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| The Chapel of Holy Agnes happens to be the sole well-preserved chapel in the city. Erected in the late 14th Century and restructured in the 15th Century, it was known as a hub for scientific work during the Enlightenment. Currently home to the University History Museum, it is crammed with paraphernalia related to scholars, 18th-century portraits, memorabilia, etc.; all of them being installed in the old lecture hall. The chapel reopened in 2007 after a thorough restoration.
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Amsterdam Esnoga (Portugees-Israëlietische Synagoge)
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Town: Amsterdam
Address: Visserplein 3
Phone: +31 20 624 53 51
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| Probably the city's best known 17th-century Jewish site, the Sephardic synagogue, or Esnoga, was founded in 1670 and ompleted five years later by architect Elias Bouwman. Once inside, one can spot a plethora of important artifacts, such as the Psalm 5:8 famous inscription. The structure's wooden poles can be spotted while passing under the synagogue with a boat. A winter synagogue is nested in the adjoining buildings, along with the Etz Hayim library and the recently restructured seminary auditorium. The synagogue benches have remained intact since 1639.
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Begijnhof Kerk (Engelse Kerk)
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Town: Amsterdam
Address: Begijnhof 35
Phone: +31 20 624 9665
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| Set in the Beguine Court, this 14th-century structure displays several noteworthy architectural details. Formerly a convent for Beguines sisters, an Amsterdam-based Catholic order for single women, the court itself is an awe-inspiring place. The order, started by women who had lost their husbands during the Crusades, was active until the latter part of the 20th Century. Here, unmarried women or widows could live in seclusion for a certain period without taking any religious vows. The neighbouring house at Number 34 happens to be the city's oldest remaining wooden structure.
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Church of Our Lord of the Attic
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Town: Amsterdam
Address: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40
Phone: +31 20 624 6604
e-mail: info@museumamstelkring.nl
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| A full-blooded Catholic church, this structure has been installed in the attic of a 17th-century guild house. Currently a constituent of the Amstelkring Museum, it was built by merchant Jan Hartman, who, upon moving into his new home on Oudezijds Voorburgwal, decided he needed his own place of religious worship. While he occupied the two remaining floors with his family, the attic was to guarantee his relation with the sublime.
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De Duif
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Town: Amsterdam
Address: Utrechtsedwarsstraat 7
e-mail: deduif@xs4all.nl
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| Erected in 1858 after plans by architect Theo Molkenboer, this Catholic church is the successor of the Het Fortuyn sugar factory, which burnt to the ground some time in the 1800s. A representative of the Neo-Classicist order, this building, nevertheless, displays a Neo-Baroque facade. Since 1974, this church has been the official home of the Oecumenische Basisgemeente De Duif, a local church community.
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De Krijtberg
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Town: Amsterdam
Address: Singel 448
Phone: +31 20 623 1923
e-mail: pastorie@krijtberg.nl
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| Set at the Singel, this Jesuit Catholic church was the brainchild of architect Alfred Tepe. Officially inaugurated in 1883, it had held secret services since the 17th Century. Having first started as an annex to the De Crijtbergh historic house, it was not rebuilt into a wholesome religious structure until 1881. Tepe's work is characterised by a rather austere facade, barely resembling that of an actual church. Flanked with two octagonal towers, a detail rather unseeming for a church, and revealing a rather tightly packed interior, this site was barely distinguishable from the neighbouring homes. Krijtberg underwent a major restoration in the period 1997-2001.
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English Reformed Church
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Town: Amsterdam
Address: Begijnhof 48
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| Being a well-established Amsterdam institution, the English Reformed Church, residing in the very core of the city, has been a long-time home of the local Protestant English-speaking congregation. Also known as the Scots Kirk, it has, as its name suggests, attracted a large Scottish lot of worshippers. The 14th-century Begijnhof encloses the church and makes it practically unnoticeable from the street. It was handed over to the Protestants in the early 17th Century, when the Catholic Beguine community, which formerly occupied Begijnhof, lost it to the city.
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Episcopal Church
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Town: Amsterdam
Address: Groenburgwal 42
Phone: +31 20 624 8877
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| Being an English speaking Anglican church, this site is largely engaged in proselitist activity in Amsterdam. The worshippers of the Christ gather in a church at Groenburgwal 42, with a view of one of the city's most scenic canals. A rather multicultural venue, this site also offers religious attendance to children and teenagers.
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