Oude Kerk (Old Church)

Promotional literature for the Oude Kerk calls it “Amsterdam’s best kept secret”. Then it must be the oldest secret ever kept. Established in 1306, the Oude Kerk, or the old church, was in its day the very center of medieval life in Amsterdam. Built as a Catholic church boasting at one time thirty-nine altars, the church was converted to Puritanism in 1578. The Oude Kerk is located in the heart of what is now known as the Red Light District.

As with all very old churches, the Oude Kerk was the final resting place for many people. Over the years there were some 12,000 burials in the church with 2,500 of them under marked gravestones. Among the most notable is c, wife of Rembrandt van Rijn who died at age 30. There were two types of burial gravesites available: church graves and family graves. Church graves were cheaper and marked with a “K”. Four layers of burials were allowed and after a few years the bones were disinterred and buried at deeper levels throughout the church grounds. By the 18^th century the practice of spreading disinterred bones throughout the surrounding area was discontinued.

When something has been around for 700 years there are tales to tell:

• ·      When built it had the largest roof surface area in Europe
• ·      The church is built on a foundation of wooden poles on cowhides
• ·      Combined with the peat-based soil, the church literally floats like a ship at sea
• ·      The floor of gravestones undulates
• ·      During the 1500’s the church provided daily refuge for thousands of people seeking shelter
• ·      The church employed dog chasers, who also removed prostitutes as well.
• ·      When burials were allowed incense was used to mask the stench of rotting flesh
• ·      Buried inside was Sweelinck, church organist at age 15, who later became a major influence on Johann Sebastian Bach.
• ·      Now days the single-most asked question by visitors is the location of the gravesite of Rembrandt’s wife
• ·      All graves have been excavated and filled with white sand

Saskia Uylenburgh (by Rembrandt van Rijn)

One of the "Family" graves