Our Lord in the Attic: An Amsterdam hidden gem

I love a hidden gem in a major city, and my recent find during a stay in Amsterdam was the absolutely brilliant Our Lord in the Attic. I can’t recommend it highly enough if you have time to squeeze it on to your itinerary!

The History

In a 17th century canal house, right at the heart of Amsterdam, lies one of its best kept secrets – an absolutely incredible secret Catholic Church dating back to the 1600s.

Looking back 500 years, the Reformation was sweeping across Europe, meaning Protestantism was replacing Catholicism as the religion in many countries, including in the Netherlands.

Views of the altar in the church

However, The Netherlands was also quite liberal, so whilst public Catholic churches were not permitted, private hidden personal Catholic churches were largely allowed with a blind eye turned to their set up. So whilst my loft hosts Christmas decorations, the incredible house at number 40 Oudezijds Voorburgwal has something much more exciting in its attic – a huge Catholic Church.

View of the church

The Church was built on the top three floors of the canal house during the 1660s. It is an important example of a ‘schuilkerk’ (clandestine church), in which Catholics and other religious dissenters from the seventeenth century Dutch Reformed Church, unable to worship in public, held services. Incredibly, the church has been open as a museum since 1888!

The insane organ from front and back

The attic church was commissioned by the wealthy Catholic merchant Jan Hartman and dedicated in 1663. He and his family lived in the house below, and apart from the Church, you can also tour the house and learn more about 17th century life in these canal houses.

The museum contains the front room, the between room, the hall, the church, the Lady chapel, the confessional, the Jaap Leeuwenberg hall, and the 17th-century kitchen.

In the ancient kitchen with original delft tiles, and a typical bed of the time (they slept sitting up)

It’s such an amazing place to explore, and incredible to find a church at the top of a typical canal house. My friend and I had a wonderful time exploring and were happy to discover such a hidden gem!