Noorderkerk

Last updated
The Noorderkerk in Amsterdam Noorderkerk (Amsterdam)-msu-8759-.jpg
The Noorderkerk in Amsterdam

The Noorderkerk (Dutch for "northern church") is a 17th-century Protestant church in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The Noorderkerk is located along Prinsengracht canal, on Noordermarkt square. The church is used for Dutch Reformed Church services and is also used regularly for classical music concerts.

Contents

The architect was Hendrick de Keyser, [1] who also designed the Zuiderkerk and Westerkerk, among others. After de Keyser's death in 1621, his son Pieter de Keyser took over and oversaw the completion.

While the Zuiderkerk and Westerkerk have a more traditional basilica design, the Noorderkerk has a symmetrical, cross-shaped layout, [1] reflecting the ideals of the Renaissance and protestantism. De Keyser's unique design combines an octagonal floor plan with a structure shaped like a Greek cross, with four arms of equal length. [1] Annex buildings occupy each corner of the cross, and a small tower sits in the centre of the cross. Large Tuscan pillars dominate the church interior.

A number of other towns in the Netherlands also have a Noorderkerk church, including The Hague, Hoorn and Kampen.

History

The church was built in the years 1620–1623 to serve the rapidly growing population of the new Jordaan neighbourhood. [1] The Jordaan already had a church, the Westerkerk, but the city government decided that a second church should be built to serve the northern part of the neighbourhood. The Noorderkerk became the church for the common people, while the Westerkerk was used mainly by the middle and upper classes.

The church was restored in the period 1993–1998. The small tower was restored in 2003–2004 and the organ, built in 1849 by H. Knipscheer, was restored in 2005. [1] The bell tower was built in 1621 by J. Meurs. [1]

In 1941, organisers of the February Strike held illicit public meetings on Noordermarkt, the square around the church. This is commemorated by a plaque on the south face of the church.

The church gained rijksmonument (national monument) status in 1970.

Burials

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht</span> Church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours

St. Martin's Cathedral, Utrecht, or Dom Church, is a Gothic church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, which was the cathedral of the Diocese of Utrecht during the Middle Ages. It is the country's only pre-Reformation cathedral, but has been a Protestant church since 1580.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westerkerk</span> Church in Amsterdam

The Westerkerk is a Reformed church within Dutch Protestant Calvinism in central Amsterdam, Netherlands. It lies in the most western part of the Grachtengordel neighborhood, next to the Jordaan, between the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prinsengracht</span> Canal in Amsterdam

The Prinsengracht is a 3.2-kilometer (2.0 mi)-long canal that runs parallel to the Keizersgracht in the center of Amsterdam. The canal, named after the Prince of Orange, is the fourth of the four main canals belonging to the canal belt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordaan</span> Neighbourhood of Amsterdam in North Holland, Netherlands

The Jordaan is a neighbourhood of the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. It is part of the borough of Amsterdam-Centrum. The area is bordered by the Singelgracht canal and the neighbourhood of Frederik Hendrikbuurt to the west; the Prinsengracht to the east; the Brouwersgracht to the north and the Leidsegracht to the south. The former canal Rozengracht is the main traffic artery through the neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hendrick de Keyser</span>

Hendrick de Keyser was a Dutch sculptor, merchant in Belgium bluestone, and architect who was instrumental in establishing a late Renaissance form of Mannerism changing into Baroque. Most of his works appeared in Amsterdam, some elsewhere in the Dutch Republic. He was the father of Pieter and Thomas de Keyser and Willem, and the uncle of Huybert de Keyser, who became his apprentices and all involved in building, decoration and architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuwe Kerk (Delft)</span> Protestant church in Delft, Netherlands

The Nieuwe Kerk is a Protestant church in the city of Delft in the Netherlands. The building is located on Delft Market Square (Markt), opposite to the City Hall. In 1584, William the Silent was entombed here in a mausoleum designed by Hendrick and Pieter de Keyser. Since then members of the House of Orange-Nassau have been entombed in the royal crypt. The latest are Queen Juliana and her husband Prince Bernhard in 2004. The private royal family crypt is not open to the public. The church tower, with the most recent recreation of the spire which was designed by Pierre Cuypers and completed in 1872, is the second highest in the Netherlands, after the Domtoren in Utrecht.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oude Kerk, Amsterdam</span> Church building in Amsterdam

The Oude Kerk is Amsterdam's oldest building and newest art institute. The building was founded about 1213 and consecrated in 1306 by the bishop of Utrecht with Saint Nicolas as its patron saint. After the Reformation in 1578, it became a Calvinist church, which it remains today. It stands in De Wallen, now Amsterdam's main red-light district. The square surrounding the church is the Oudekerksplein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Baroque architecture</span>

Dutch Baroque architecture is a variety of Baroque architecture that flourished in the Dutch Republic and its colonies during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zuiderkerk</span> Church in Amsterdam

The Zuiderkerk is a 17th-century Protestant church in the Nieuwmarkt area of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The church played an important part in the life of Rembrandt and was the subject of a painting by Claude Monet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noordermarkt</span>

The Noordermarkt is a square in the Jordaan neighborhood of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The square is dominated by the 17th-Century Noorderkerk church, and is lined by cafés and restaurants. Markets are held on the square every Monday. On Saturdays, a popular organic farmer's market is held on the square. On Mondays a market is also held in the adjacent Westerstraat street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canals of Amsterdam</span> Grachten dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age; UNESCO World Heritage Site

Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands, has more than 100 kilometers (62 mi) of grachten (canals), about 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. The three main canals, dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age, form concentric belts around the city, known as the Grachtengordel. Alongside the main canals are 1550 monumental buildings. The 17th-century canal ring area, including the Prinsengracht, Keizersgracht, Herengracht and Jordaan, were listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010, contributing to Amsterdam's fame as the "Venice of the North".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter de Keyser</span> Dutch architect and sculptor

Pieter de Keyser was a Dutch Golden Age architect (bouwmeester) and sculptor. He followed in the footsteps of his father Hendrick de Keyser and completed a number of Hendrick de Keyser's buildings after his death in 1621.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuwe Kerk (The Hague)</span>

The Nieuwe Kerk is a Dutch Baroque Protestant church in The Hague, located across from the modern city hall on the Spui. It was built in 1649 after the Great Church had become too small. Construction was completed in 1656.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westerkerk (Rotterdam)</span>

The Westerkerk was a Protestant church on the Kruiskade in Rotterdam, Netherlands completed in 1870 and destroyed in the bombing of Rotterdam in May 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk (Rotterdam)</span> Church in Rotterdam, Netherlands

Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk is a Protestant church in Rotterdam. It is the only remnant of the medieval city of Rotterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walloon Church, Amsterdam</span> Church in Netherlands

The Walloon Church is a Protestant church building in Amsterdam, along the southern stretch of the Oudezijds Achterburgwal canal. The building dates to the late 15th century and has been in use as a Walloon church since 1586. The church was also known as the Franse Kerk, Walenkerk, Oude Walenkerk, or Oude Waalse Kerk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zuiderkerk (Enkhuizen)</span> Church in Enkhuizen, Netherlands

The Zuiderkerk, also called Sint-Pancraskerk is a late Gothic hall church in Enkhuizen, in the Netherlands, currently used by the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rijksmonument report

52°22′46″N4°53′11″E / 52.37944°N 4.88639°E / 52.37944; 4.88639