Schuilkerk
The term Schuilkerk (German: Hidden Church or Schlupfkirche ) describes churches in the Netherlands that cannot be directly recognized as churches from the outside. This form of church construction was practiced during the republic of the Seven United Provinces in the 17th and 18th centuries, mainly by Catholics , Lutherans , Remonstrants and Mennonites ( Doopsgezinde ). The Netherlands was largely Calvinist at that time . Other religious groups were tolerated (see also Golden Age ), but were not allowed to appear openly. This affected the Catholics, but also smaller Protestant churches. After the Dordrecht Synod in 1618/19, this also affected the Remonstrants who were excluded from the Reformed Church . Despite the simple facade, some of the hidden churches inside were richly decorated.
In the country, such churches were often integrated into smaller residential buildings or barns, so that these were also known as Schuurkerk ( barn church ).
Facility
In the beginning, Schuilkerken were only set up very provisionally. The style of the time was later used in the furnishings. Catholic Schuilkerken were set up in the baroque style, often with art objects from the southern Netherlands. Due to the very limited floor space, many Schuilkerken in the cities were equipped with galleries in order to offer more seating.
Schuilkerken still in existence
There are still a large number of Schuilkerken in the Netherlands. These include:
- Doopsgezinde Kerk in Utrecht
- Saints Peter and Paul Church, also called De Papegaai (The Parrot) in Amsterdam (Kalverstraat)
- Chapel in the Beguinage in Amsterdam
- Catholic Schuilkerk Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the attic) in Amsterdam (formerly Museum Amstelkring )
- Singelkerk on the Singel in Amsterdam
- Old Catholic Church in The Hague