Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder, or Our Lord in the Attic, is such a unique place to visit…read more
"Hidden" in a 17th-century canal house, you can climb the stairs to the top floors to discover a house church as part of this museum. The Catholic church was built on the top three floors of the canal house during the 1660s. It is an example of a "schuilkerk", or "clandestine church." Since Catholics who rejected the Dutch Reformed Church were unable to worship in public, these hidden churches were often found on the top floors of canal houses.
The canal house was built in 1630. Between 1661 and 1663 the top three floors of the house were transformed into a house church. The church is small, but beautiful.
After the Church of St Nicholas was opened, the house church no longer needed to be used as a church. On April 28, 1888, it opened its doors to the public as a museum. It is the second-oldest museum in Amsterdam, after the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
Definitely put this one on your list of museums to visit in Amsterdam. On the way up to the church, you can visit the front room, the between room, the hall, the Jaap Leeuwenberg Hall, and the 17th-century kitchen.
It is on I Amsterdam Card. Such a unique experience.