Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
AMSTELKRING
MUSEUM TOUR
Our Lord in the Attic—
A Hidden Catholic Church
For two centuries (1578-1795), Catholicism in Amsterdam was
illegal, but tolerated (like pot in the 1970s). When hard-line
Protestants took power in 1578, Catholic churches were vandalized
and shut down, priests and monks were rounded up and kicked out
of town, and Catholic kids were razzed on their way to school. The
city's Catholics were forbidden to worship openly, so they gath-
ered secretly to say Mass in homes and offices. In 1663, a wealthy
merchant built Our Lord in the Attic (Museum Ons' Lieve Heer
op Solder), one of a handful of places in Amsterdam that served as
a secret parish church until Catholics were once again allowed to
worship in public. This unique church—embedded within a town-
house in the middle of the Red Light District—comes with a little
bonus: a rare glimpse inside a historic Amsterdam home straight
out of a Vermeer painting.
ORIENTATION
Cost:
€7.
Hours:
Mon-Sat 10:00-17:00, Sun and holidays 13:00-17:00,
closed Jan 1 and April 30.
Getting There:
It's at Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40, a seven-minute
walk from either Central Station or Dam Square.
Information:
Tel. 020/624-6604, www.museumamstelkring.nl.
Note that the museum has several steep, narrow staircases.
Photography:
No photos allowed.
Length of This Tour:
Allow one hour.
