One of the most interesting museums you can visit in Amsterdam is the Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic) a clandestine church or "schuilkerk" hidden away in the top three floors of a typically lovely, but unassuming, canal house.
The 17th century Dutch Reformation was a hard time for those who wished to remain Catholic in Amsterdam. Those who dissented from the Dutch Reform Church were forced to worship in hiding in a “out of sight, out of mind” manner tolerated by the city fathers. As a result, many of these “house churches” sprang up around Amsterdam.
The Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder was originally built in 1631 on the prestigious Oudezijds Voorburgwal.. It was built as a house for successful merchant, Jan Hartman. He owned the tall canal house and the two houses behind it. Hartman was Catholic, and his son was training for the priesthood, so he decided to convert the top three floors of his house into a secret Catholic church.
The 17th century Dutch Reformation was a hard time for those who wished to remain Catholic in Amsterdam. Those who dissented from the Dutch Reform Church were forced to worship in hiding in a “out of sight, out of mind” manner tolerated by the city fathers. As a result, many of these “house churches” sprang up around Amsterdam.
The Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder was originally built in 1631 on the prestigious Oudezijds Voorburgwal.. It was built as a house for successful merchant, Jan Hartman. He owned the tall canal house and the two houses behind it. Hartman was Catholic, and his son was training for the priesthood, so he decided to convert the top three floors of his house into a secret Catholic church.
photo above by Andreas Praefeke via Wikipedia Commons
On the ground floor and basement Jan Hartman built a shop and storage room for his business. This room is currently the museum lobby.
The self-tour starts on the first floor (second flour for U.S. folks) so you will begin by climbing the steep narrow stairs that are common in the tall 17th century Amsterdam homes.
The museum is currently under renovation, but you can walk through the rooms, which are being carefully restored to what would have been their original 17th century appearance and climb the narrow stairs to the unique Catholic Church in the attic.
The self-tour starts on the first floor (second flour for U.S. folks) so you will begin by climbing the steep narrow stairs that are common in the tall 17th century Amsterdam homes.
The museum is currently under renovation, but you can walk through the rooms, which are being carefully restored to what would have been their original 17th century appearance and climb the narrow stairs to the unique Catholic Church in the attic.
On the first floor of the middle house, Hartman added a lavish reception room called the Sael (parlor) decorated in the Dutch Classical style, to show off his status and receive guests. This impressive hall, has a marble floor and painted paneled ceiling.
The merchant and his family lived what would have appeared to casual aquaintences, the normal lives of a wealthy successful merchant, on the lower floors of the houses.
The Canal Room (day room) was located in the front house and is where the residents would have spent their day. The room had no heating at that time and since it was at the front, the noise and the smell of the canal were a problem so wall curtains were used to add comfort and soundproofing to the room. The room is fitted with 17th-century furniture.
The Canal Room (day room) was located in the front house and is where the residents would have spent their day. The room had no heating at that time and since it was at the front, the noise and the smell of the canal were a problem so wall curtains were used to add comfort and soundproofing to the room. The room is fitted with 17th-century furniture.
In the the rear house we found a bedroom with a Box Bed and the 17th Century Kitchen. The beautiful blue and white Delft tiles, the fireplace and the black-and-white floor are original.
In the front house, halfway up the 17th-century stairs is a "between room". This is where the chaplain lodged in the 19th century. There was a resident Chaplain serving the church from 1663.
In the uppermost reaches of the tall house, the Catholic Church "nave" spans the long space of the three house attics culminating in an elaborate altar. At the opposite end is a grand organ which is still used used. There are two galleries above the floor of the nave and the uppermost gallery is lined with clerestory windows which light the beautiful curves of the ceiling. The church was used beginning in the 1660’s and continued to serve the catholic community for over two hundred years.
The Atar is flanked by two marbled columns with classical capitals. The columns and an arch frame a painting by Jacob de Wit (1695-1754), The Baptism in the Jordan. At the top, the decoration culminates in a stucco sculpture of God the Father and the Holy Spirit, surrounded by clouds and cherubs which, together with the altarpiece depicting Christ the Son, form the Holy Trinity.
The Organ dominates the canal end of the church. It was built by Hendrik Meyer in 1794 especially for this church.
The Lady Chapel is the only additional altar at Our Lord in the Attic and is devoted to the Virgin Mary. Standing on the altar is a statue of Mary on a pedestal. This figure was probably made for the original church. The statue portrays a moment when Christ has just been given a pear by his mother – or maybe he is giving it to her. The pear is a symbol for Christ's love of humankind.
The Confessional was created around 1740. Few churches would have had such a simple confessional chair. The penitent kneels in the closet-like space to confess their sins to the priest.
In 1739 the priest Ludovicus Reiniers bought the house. He lived in the front house and improved access to the church by inserting a new staircase in the middle house.
The Church of St. Nicholas was finally built in the 1880’s to serve the Catholic community ending the use of the "schuilkerk" and a few years later in 1888, the house church was opened as a museum. Today, it is one of the oldest museums in Amsterdam, second only to the Rijksmuseum.
The Church of St. Nicholas was finally built in the 1880’s to serve the Catholic community ending the use of the "schuilkerk" and a few years later in 1888, the house church was opened as a museum. Today, it is one of the oldest museums in Amsterdam, second only to the Rijksmuseum.
As part of the restoration and expansion of the Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder, in the Nieuwe Huis (New House) across the alley, there will be space for an entrance lobby, a museum shop, a cafe, temporary exhibitions and education. I am looking forward to visiting this museum again when the restoration is complete! It is an amazing peek into the turbulent 17th century religious history of Amsterdam.
photo credit - above photo - http://www.opsolder.nl/eng/toekomst-nieuws.php
Information for this article provided by DK Eyewitness Travel Amsterdam, Wikipedia,
and Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder
Information for this article provided by DK Eyewitness Travel Amsterdam, Wikipedia,
and Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder
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