Vrijburg is an historic

clandestine church A clandestine church ( nl, schuilkerk), defined by historian Benjamin J. Kaplan as a "semi-clandestine church", is a house of worship used by religious minorities whose communal worship is tolerated by those of the majority faith on condition th ...

concealed behind a row of houses fronting on the Keizersgracht, Amsterdam. It is situated in the center of the block, with houses on all four sides and no frontage on any public street. Vrijburg was built between 1629 and 1631 to serve Amsterdam's

Remonstrant The Remonstrants (or the Remonstrant Brotherhood) is a Protestant movement that had split from the Dutch Reformed Church in the early 17th century. The early Remonstrants supported Jacobus Arminius, and after his death, continued to maintain his ...

Protestants, who were not allowed to hold worship services in a manner visible by the public.Kaplan, Benjamin J., ''Religious Conflict and the Practice of Toleration in Early Modern Europe,'' Harvard University Press, 2007, Chapter 8, pp. 180. ff.. Unlike many clandestine churches, the Vrijburg is a substantial, freestanding building. It is a two-story building with arched windows and even a small rose window made of brick over frame. The elegant, basilica form neoclassical interior has two sets of galleries. To secure its position, the congregation acted over time to purchase almost all of the surrounding houses, one served as a

parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...

and the others were hired out. Nowadays, the building houses the debating center "Rode Hoed".

References

{{coord, 52, 22, 38, N, 4, 53, 14, E, source:kolossus-nlwiki, display=title Churches in Amsterdam Religious buildings and structures completed in 1631 Protestant churches in the Netherlands 1631 establishments in the Dutch Republic