On our last full day in Amsterdam, our plan was to look at some of the city's churches. We started out by taking a bus to the central train station. Since the Reformation, Amsterdam has mostly been a Protestant town, but the most prominent church visible from the train station is the Basilica of St. Nicholas, the city's principal Catholic church. The basilica was built between 1884 and 1887, and features a dome that is 190 feet high. The architecture is mainly neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance, which is unusual for a late 19th Century church, as the style of the time for new churches was mostly neo-Gothic.

St. Nicholas didn't appear to be open to visitors, so we moved on to look at the church we were most curious about, the Our Lord in the Attic church. In the 17th Century Amsterdam was so Protestant that Catholics were not allowed to worship openly. But between 1661 and 1663 the owners of a house located on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal canal did some remodeling – they turned the top three floors of their house into a full Catholic Church. Apparently, while this sort of thing wasn't exactly encouraged at the time, it was possible to get away with it as long as you weren't obvious about it. And from the outside, the house looks like any other canal house, with nothing remotely church-like about it. The house and church have been open as a museum since 1888. The entrance fee is reasonably low, and audioguides are available. The tour starts on the lower floor, which consists of ordinary (but somewhat cramped) living quarters.


The lower floor seemed relatively free of religious imagery (except for a painting in the living room), but on going upstairs, one runs into something that looks a lot like a confessional.

Turning into the main part of the floor, you enter what is obviously a narrow church, complete with an altar, an organ, rows of seats, two balconies and a rather pink paint job. The church was undergoing a renovation during our visit, and the altarpiece and the actual organ were missing. But it was fascinating to see how a church could be shoehorned into such a narrow area.


The view from the balcony offered a somewhat different perspective.


Looking out the window yielded rooftop views of the neighborhood.


One building visible from the upstairs window was the Oude Kerk ("old church"), which we went to look at after finishing our tour. The Oude Kerk is the oldest building in Amsterdam, having been founded in 1213 (and consecrated in 1306) as a Catholic church with St. Nicholas as its patron saint. In 1578, after the Reformation, it became (and today remains) a Calvinist church. But despite the church being Calvinist, many Catholics show up at the church annually to celebrate the Miracle of Amsterdam. In this miracle, from 1345, a dying man was given communion but couldn't keep it down. The resulting vomit was thrown into a fire, but the Host would not burn. This was proclaimed a miracle, and the partly-eaten Host was forthwith enshrined in a chest at the Oude Kerk. The fireproof vomit disappeared sometime during the Reformation, possibly discarded by Protestants who weren't so impressed. But every March Catholics appear anyway to celebrate the Miracle, despite its physical evidence having been lost.

From the Oude Kerk we walked over to the Dam Square, where we took a closer look at the Nieuwe Kerk ("new church"), located next to the Royal Palace. "New" is a relative term (in this case meaning "newer than the old church"), as the church dates back to the 15th Century. The existing building mostly dates back to the 17th Century, as it was almost entirely rebuilt (in Gothic style) after a fire in 1645. A major renovation from 1892-1914 added several neo-Gothic details. Another renovation from 1959-80 proved to be too expensive for the owners, the Dutch Reformed Church, so they were forced to transfer ownership to a cultural foundation, as they could no longer afford the maintenance. The church isn't used for regular services anymore, but is mostly an exhibition space and a venue for organ recitals. But it is still used by Dutch royalty for major ceremonies, such as investitures and royal weddings. Photography is not allowed, so we only have one interior photo for you.


Another picturesque church we noticed and photographed was the Zuiderkerk ("southern church"), which dates back to the early 17th Century. The church was very close to Rembrandt's house, and three of his children were buried there. Claude Monet must have been drawn to the look of the church, as he painted a picture of it in 1874, with the Groenburgwal canal leading up to it. The church has not been used for services since 1929, and is now a municipal information center.

By this time we were about "churched out", but we still had time to visit one more point of interest. We considered our options, and decided on the Amsterdam Historical Museum.