Oude Kerk Amsterdam

The Oude Kerks roots go all the way back to the Middle Ages. An icon of the Iconoclastic Fury, it occupies a unique place in the cultural landscape of the Netherlands. The Oude Kerk is Amsterdams oldest building. It was dedicated to the patron saint of the people of Amsterdam, Saint Nicholas, in 1306. Built originally as a small wooden chapel, the citys pars pro toto grew into the imposing Gothic hall church of today. The Oude Kerk was the site of the Iconoclastic Fury. On 23 August 1566, an angry crowd forced its way into the church and destroyed statues, stained glass windows and altarpieces. From 1578, the Oude Kerk was no longer Roman Catholic. Traces of this important moment in Dutch history are still visible today. The Oude Kerk is the final resting place of more than 20,000 of Amsterdams citizens, including artist Rembrandt van Rijns wife Saskia van Uylenburgh, who was buried here on 15 June 1638; Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck found a final resting place next to the sanctuary ...