Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder

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Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder

The Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (German: Our Dear Lord in the Attic) museum is a 17th century building in the center of the Dutch capital, Amsterdam . Among other things, it houses one of the few remaining Schuilkerk buildings in the country.

General

The 42-year-old entrepreneur and father of five, Jan Hartmann, who among other things became rich through the linen trade, bought two buildings next to a house on May 10, 1630. The house was a typical canal house, the street front of which was four windows wide. The Reformation forbade Catholics to celebrate masses in public. To enable him and other Catholics to go to church, Hartmann decided between 1661 and 1663 to merge the granaries of the three buildings. In the spacious common room he set up a house church for Roman Catholic believers. Church services were held regularly in the building originally known as Het Haantje and Het Hert . This only changed when masses were celebrated in the neighboring St. Nicholas Church . House churches became superfluous and the building became a museum on April 28, 1888. At first it was named Museum Amstelkring , later it was renamed Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder .

Exhibited spaces

church

House church

While the remaining rooms of the museum that can be visited have been reconstructed to reflect Hartmann's time, the church remained in the state in which it was in 1862. It received its old pink hue again, which, according to a scientific study , was mixed from linseed oil , titanium white and iron oxide . When compiling the ingredients, the toxic white lead that was used at the time was deliberately avoided.

Hand-woven rush mats from Great Britain cover the floor. This ground cover was made for Hartmann in Genemuiden , about 100 kilometers away .

The gas lamps shown in old images were reconstructed in an electrified form and are still used today to illuminate the church.

Pub

During expansion work in 2013, a septic tank was found which, in addition to excrement, contained ceramic items and glasses in very good condition. It was possible to reconstruct the furnishings of the house's former pub. Beer, also known as mom , tasted the same as the current drink, but contained less alcohol and was often used as a substitute for drinking water.

The museum visitor is shown shelves with original tableware , Delft ceramics , glasses and Chinese porcelain.

reception room

This room was used by Jan Hartmann to receive guests. It should impress with its splendor. Hartmann's coat of arms above the fireplace, valuable pictures on the walls and furniture decorated with elaborate carvings served to demonstrate his wealth. The interior design is typical of the period of Dutch Classicism . The symmetry of the pattern of the floor is reflected, for example, in the nine cassettes of the ceiling cladding.

The entire furnishing of the room dates from the 17th century. Only the white plaster was more recent. It has been removed to bring back the original plaster that Hartman described as "yellow with a hint of orange".

Confessional

confessional

Confession, one of the seven sacraments, has always been of special importance to the faithful. For this reason, the domestic church offered the opportunity to make confession. A confessional from 1740 was used for this purpose.

Lady Chapel

The Lady Chapel is behind the sanctuary. The focal point is a figure of Mary carved from linden wood from 1690. It probably belonged to the inventory of the attic of the church. Mary standing on the crescent moon carries the baby Jesus on her arm. She crushes a serpent, the ecclesiastical symbol of original sin , and overcomes Eve's fall in paradise .

Space

On the way to the church, the believers passed a small space. This contained a bed, but was probably also used as a living and working space. The stairs to the church adjacent to the room still contain original steps.

Common room

The common room served as the family's living space during the day. From there she had an excellent view of the canal and the city. At night the room served as a bedroom. While the original bed frame has been preserved, the wall curtains are reconstructions. This was based on historical models from the Swedish Skokloster Castle . As in the old days, the curtains were attached to the wall with small nails so that they had a sufficient distance from it.

The original of the staircase with its concave and bulbous steps is still there.

Apartment for subtenants

From the opening of the church in 1662 until it was closed in 1887, the church had its own priest. Peter Parmentier was the first to hold this position. He rented the luxurious room with marble floors for an annual rent of 200 guilders and used it as both a living room and a study. Hartmann promised Parmentier to live there for life. When Hartmann died in debt in 1668, they were forced to sell the premises. Parmentier was forced to move.

17th century kitchen

The first floor of the house was divided into three parts. Next to the front building was the kitchen with the fireplace and a room used as a pantry and scullery. Probably only this room had a water connection. A door separated a room that contained a toilet with a water bucket. Since the three rooms lay in a line one behind the other, it was difficult to achieve sufficient lighting. The problem was solved by large windows in the front door. The reconstruction gives the rooms their original atmosphere again. This also helped that the original colors of the window frames and walls could be restored.

Church services

The building is not only used as a museum. In addition to wedding masses , two Metten are celebrated on Christmas night . In addition, the believers celebrate a Holy Mass from the first Sunday of October until the end of April.

See also

List of museums in Amsterdam

Web links

Coordinates: 52 ° 22 '30.4 "  N , 4 ° 53' 57.6"  E