New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) description and photos - Netherlands: Amsterdam (Topic)

New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) description and photos - Netherlands: Amsterdam. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Nieuwe Kerk.

Photo and description

The new church is located in the central square of Amsterdam, Dam Square, near the Royal Palace. Despite the name, it is one of the oldest churches in the city.

By the beginning of the 15th century, Amsterdam was rapidly growing and developing, its population was increasing, and the Church of St. Nicholas (Old Church) that existed at that time could no longer accommodate all the parishioners. Therefore, in 1408, permission was obtained from the Archbishop of Utrecht to build another church. The new church was consecrated in honor of St. Mary and St. Catherine. The church suffered a lot from fires, and in the middle of the 17th century it was practically rebuilt after one of these fires. Another large-scale reconstruction was carried out at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, during which some neo-Gothic details were added to the church. The coronations of the queens Wilhelmina, Juliana and Beatrix were held here.

At the end of the 20th century, it was necessary to restore and strengthen the old building again, but the Netherlands Reformed Church declared that it did not have enough funds for this, and the church would have to be closed. p>

The church was transferred to a specially created secular foundation. Now the church is used for various exhibitions and organ concerts. Divine services are not held in the church, but it was here that the wedding of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his coronation in 2012 took place.

Many prominent public figures of the Netherlands are buried in the church, such as Admiral Mikhail Ruyter, scientist and writer Kaspar Barleus, surgeon and mayor of Amsterdam Nicholas Tulp and many others.

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Topic: New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) description and photos - Netherlands: Amsterdam.