Museum Amstelkring Our Lord in the Attic

Museum Amstelkring Our Lord in the Attic, is the smallest church in Amsterdam and is located in the attic of a seventeenth-century canal house on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal. At first glance, there is nothing to indicate that this is a house of prayer. Only when you climb the stairs to the top floor, will you see that the entire attic has been converted into a church with all the characteristics of a house of God; pews, an altar and an organ. In the seventeenth century, Catholic Amsterdammers gathered here when they were no longer allowed to practice their religion in public.

Why Clandestine Churches?

From the early sixteenth century onwards, the Netherlands was incorporated into Spain and was ruled by the Catholic Hapsburg dynasty who fiercely opposed the Reformation.

Initially, the Dutch remained loyal to Spain, but towards the end of the sixteenth century this changed. As a result, Catholics were forbidden to practice their faith openly. From that time on, Holy Mass was celebrated in clandestine churches in hidden places in the homes of wealthy Amsterdam merchants.

Ons Lieve Heer op Solder

The clandestine church ‘Ons Lieve Heer op Solder’ (Our Lord in the Attic) extends across the attics of three adjacent houses. The interior is like a jigsaw puzzle, everything fits together perfectly. The pulpit is under the altar and galleries just under the roof make it possible for even more faithful to attend Mass.

The Trompe l’oeil altar gives the impression of real marble and the columns seem three-dimensional, but are paintings and as flat as a pancake.

Period Rooms

On the first floor is the reception room of the wealthy resident of this canal house and furnished with seventeenth-century furniture; a beautiful example of classicism. Note the faux door that was installed because symmetry was very important in this art movement.

The kitchen with many Delft blue tiles in the basement is a showpiece and is of a later date, from the nineteenth century. A small room complete with a box bed was reserved for the resident priest. On the landing is a built-in confessional.

Tickets and Audio-tour

Walk through the museum at leisure with the audio guide and listen to remarkable stories about this special clandestine church in Amsterdam.

Address: Museum Amstelkring, Ons Lieve Heer op Solder, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 38, Amsterdam
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10:00-18:00, Sunday 13:00-18:00

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Photos: Marianne Crone