Page 26 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Amsterdam

24 ❯❯ Top 10 Amsterdam Highlights

Museum Ons’ Lieve
Heer op Solder

Contrasting sharply with its surroundings in the Red Light District,
this 17th-century house has a surprise in store. Concealed in its
upper floors is a church, Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the
Attic). Restored and expanded to include another building in 2011,
it’s a rare, perfectly preserved example of the many clandestine
churches built after the Alteration (see facing page). Local Catholics
worshipped here from 1663 to 1887. Its little-changed interiors
transport you back to the Dutch Golden Age.
The Hidden Church 1
At the top of the stairs, the
huiskerk (house church)
is a charming sight (right).
In c.1735, it was remod elled
in Baroque style, with the
addition of two tiers of galleries,
suspended from the roof by
cast-iron rods, to provide
extra seating.
The Confessional
2
In 1739, this living room
in the middle of the three
houses became the church’s
confessional. One of the two
wooden confessional boxes
still remains (left).
The Maria Chapel and Peat Room
3
This chapel comprises a small altar dedicated
The Sael
to the Virgin Mary. The statue is one of the few 5
original objects belonging to the 17th-century church. Adhering to strict
rules of proportion and
symmetry, the family’s
sael (formal parlour) is
a superb example of the
Dutch Classical style
fashionable in the 17th
century. It is this room
the family would have
used to receive guests.
Canal Room
6
This 17th-century
living room overlooks the
canal to the front, and is
The Priest’s Room
4 where residents would
Formerly the servants’ quarters, the
spend most of their time
Priest’s Room is in a corner on a bend in the during the day. It is
stairs. It’s a tiny, enclosed bedroom with a box decorated with authentic
bed, simply furnished as it would have been for furnishings from the era,
the priest, who lived in the house (above). including a replica stove.

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