Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic)

Amsterdam has a history lesson on every street, and some of the most innocuous looking things conceal some of the most interesting things about this centuries-old city. Take the Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder for example. Known to tourists as Our Lord in the Attic, this popular museum is an important example of a “schuilkerk”, or “clandestine church.”

What we see from the street—the same street glowing with red light and hazy with smoke from countless “coffee shops”—is the 16^th century canal house of Jan Hartman. What we find upon entering is one of the best, historically preserved homes in Amsterdam; and what awaits us in the three upper-most floors is as shockingly exquisite as it is unexpected.

Main entrance

First a history lesson: According to renowned travel expert, Rick Steves, Catholicism was illegal in Amsterdam between 1578-1798—illegal but tolerated (not unlike marijuana in the 1970’s). Catholic clergy were rounded up and expelled from the city. Catholic holdings (including churches) were confiscated. Catholics were openly persecuted and forbidden to worship openly, so they worshiped in private, which brings us to Our Lord in the Attic. In 1633 Jan Hartman designed the complete restructuring of the upper-most floors of his canal house, incorporating the same floors of the two adjoining houses—creating the church we can now visit.

The drawing room

The self-paced tour of the house allows visitors to experience first-hand the unique characteristics of a 16^th century canal house. It would have been important to a 16^th century merchant to impress guests and clients. The abundance of marble is actually painted wood. The architectural symmetry and attention to detail in the master’s drawing room where he would have met visitors speaks to the importance of appearances—to a Dutch merchant. Every room on the lower levels is the most interesting history lesson ever—until we reach the attic.

Carefully constructed to maintain the structural integrity of the three houses, the church is as much an engineering triumph as it is a celebration of faith. Cleverly re-supported by iron rods, the upper-most support beams of the houses were severed, combined, and reconfigured to create a double gallery; in other words, more room for the faithful.

      

 

The altar itself is a combination of religious splendor and engineering creativity. Tiny by comparative standards, the altar (as it is with all Catholic churches) is the focal point of the church. Of particular interest is the pulpit, mostly because at first glance there does not appear to be one. A masterpiece of design, the pulpit conveniently retracts becoming part of the left-hand “marble” column of the altar.

View from the second balcony

By 1800 such churches were no longer necessary and the construction of nearby St. Nicholas cathedral eliminated the necessity of clandestine churches. Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder opened as a museum in 1888, making it the second oldest museum in Amsterdam. Currently hosting approximately 85,000 visitors per year, Our Lord in the Attic has survived—thank God.

The organ constructed in 1794 by Hendrik Meyer