English Reformed Church, Amsterdam
Encyclopedia
The English Reformed Church is one of the oldest buildings in Amsterdam
, situated in the centre of the city. It is home to an English-speaking congregation which is affiliated to the Church of Scotland
and to the Protestant Church in the Netherlands
(formerly Dutch Reformed Church
). It comes under the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Europe
, and is also known as the Scots Kirk in Amsterdam. The current minister, John Cowie, is also Clerk to the Presbytery of Europe.
The address of the church, Begijnhof 48, indicates its origins. The Begijnhof
, an enclosed courtyard, was a 14th-century residence for the sisterhood of the Beguines, and the church was originally established as their chapel. For this reason, the church is invisible from the street and can only be discovered by entering the courtyard through an inconspicuous archway.
As with other city churches, the keys of the chaple were surrendered to the Municipality when Amsterdam sided officially with the Prince of Orange
and formally adopted Calvinist
doctrines in 1578. The church, controlled by the Beguines, was taken by the city council and closed. In 1607, the church was re-opened for worship when the Municipality presented it to the English-speaking Protestants living in the city. Since then, services in English have continued practically without interruption to the present day.
The Catholic Beguines, deprived of their former oratory and daily Mass
, who continued to live in several houses of the Begijnhof, refused to re-enter the chapel as they considered it "desecrated by heresy".
The dissenting English Protestants in Amsterdam in the early days of the English Church
included a number, who, within a few years of their arrival in the city, left to form a separate congregation in Leiden and to sail via Delfshaven and Plymouth (in England) on the Mayflower
to the New World in 1620. These Pilgrim Fathers are remembered in stained glass and memorials both within and outside the church.
In 1817 - in the immediate aftermath of Napoleon's defeat and the restoration of rule by the House of Orange - ownership of the building was formally passed to the congregation, by then known as the English Reformed Church ("ERC"), which holds a regular Sunday morning service as well as other services and activities in the church. The ERC currently has 320 members from 30 nationalities. The church can seat 385 and attracts congregations of over 250 on a regular basis.
Since the late 1970s, the church has provided Amsterdam with an important platform for the performance of chamber music of all periods and styles with over 70 concerts a year. In particular, it has given many young artists the opportunity to launch their careers. The Academy of the Begijnhof, founded by a former church organist, is now one of Amsterdam's premier baroque orchestras.
To mark the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the English Reformed Church Queen Elizabeth
and Prince Philip
visited the church on February 5 2007. She attended a normal church service, accompanied by Queen Beatrix
of the Netherlands.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, situated in the centre of the city. It is home to an English-speaking congregation which is affiliated to the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
and to the Protestant Church in the Netherlands
Protestant Church in the Netherlands
The Protestant Church in the Netherlands is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the Netherlands. With 2,000 congregations and a membership of some 1.8 million , it is the second largest church in the Netherlands after the Roman Catholic Church.It was founded 1 May 2004 as a merger of...
(formerly Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
). It comes under the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Europe
Presbytery of Europe
The Presbytery of Europe covers the Church of Scotland's congregations in continental Europe.As a Presbyterian church, the Church of Scotland has no bishops. Instead courts of ministers, elders and deacons have collective responsibility for the governance of the church...
, and is also known as the Scots Kirk in Amsterdam. The current minister, John Cowie, is also Clerk to the Presbytery of Europe.
The address of the church, Begijnhof 48, indicates its origins. The Begijnhof
Begijnhof, Amsterdam
The Begijnhof is one of the oldest inner courts in the city of Amsterdam. A group of historic buildings, mostly private dwellings, centre on it. As the name suggests, it was originally a Béguinage...
, an enclosed courtyard, was a 14th-century residence for the sisterhood of the Beguines, and the church was originally established as their chapel. For this reason, the church is invisible from the street and can only be discovered by entering the courtyard through an inconspicuous archway.
As with other city churches, the keys of the chaple were surrendered to the Municipality when Amsterdam sided officially with the Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange
Prince of Orange is a title of nobility, originally associated with the Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France. In French it is la Principauté d'Orange....
and formally adopted Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
doctrines in 1578. The church, controlled by the Beguines, was taken by the city council and closed. In 1607, the church was re-opened for worship when the Municipality presented it to the English-speaking Protestants living in the city. Since then, services in English have continued practically without interruption to the present day.
The Catholic Beguines, deprived of their former oratory and daily Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, who continued to live in several houses of the Begijnhof, refused to re-enter the chapel as they considered it "desecrated by heresy".
The dissenting English Protestants in Amsterdam in the early days of the English Church
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
included a number, who, within a few years of their arrival in the city, left to form a separate congregation in Leiden and to sail via Delfshaven and Plymouth (in England) on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
to the New World in 1620. These Pilgrim Fathers are remembered in stained glass and memorials both within and outside the church.
In 1817 - in the immediate aftermath of Napoleon's defeat and the restoration of rule by the House of Orange - ownership of the building was formally passed to the congregation, by then known as the English Reformed Church ("ERC"), which holds a regular Sunday morning service as well as other services and activities in the church. The ERC currently has 320 members from 30 nationalities. The church can seat 385 and attracts congregations of over 250 on a regular basis.
Since the late 1970s, the church has provided Amsterdam with an important platform for the performance of chamber music of all periods and styles with over 70 concerts a year. In particular, it has given many young artists the opportunity to launch their careers. The Academy of the Begijnhof, founded by a former church organist, is now one of Amsterdam's premier baroque orchestras.
To mark the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the English Reformed Church Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
visited the church on February 5 2007. She attended a normal church service, accompanied by Queen Beatrix
Beatrix of the Netherlands
Beatrix is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of the Netherlands comprising the Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and Aruba. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University...
of the Netherlands.
See also
- List of Church of Scotland parishes
- Dutch Church, Austin FriarsDutch Church, Austin FriarsThe Dutch Church is a familiar landmark within Broad Street Ward, in the City of London. The original church was a monastic foundation and the Dutch connection goes back to 1550 when King Edward VI gave Protestant refugees from the Netherlands permission to establish their own parish...
- London, England