The Nieuwe Kerk (, ) is a 15th-century

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

located on

Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital and most populated city of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. ...

, next to the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania {, class="wikitable" width="95%" , - bgcolor="white" !align=center, Residence !align=center, Photo !align=center, City !align=cen ...

. Originally a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church, it became a

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

church in 1578. It now belongs to the

Protestant Church in the Netherlands The Protestant Church in the Netherlands (, abbreviated PKN) is the largest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in the Netherlands, consisting of historical Calvinism, Calvinist and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. It w ...

Current uses

The Nieuwe Kerk is no longer used for church services but is used as an exhibition space. It is also used for organ recitals. There is a café in one of the buildings attached to the church that has an entrance to the church (during opening hours). There is a museum store inside the entrance that sells postcards, books, and gifts having to do with the church and its exhibitions. The church is used for Dutch royal

investiture Investiture (from the Latin preposition ''in'' and verb ''vestire'', "dress" from ''vestis'' "robe") is a formal installation or ceremony that a person undergoes, often related to membership in Christian religious institutes as well as Christian kn ...

ceremonies (as per Article 32 of the

Dutch Constitution The Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands of 24 August 1815 () is one of two fundamental documents governing the Kingdom of the Netherlands as well as the Constitution, fundamental law of the Netherlands, Netherlands proper (the territo ...

) most recently that of King

Willem-Alexander Willem-Alexander (; Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand; born 27 April 1967) is King of the Netherlands since 30 April 2013. Willem-Alexander was born in Utrecht during the reign of his maternal grandmother, Queen Juliana, as the eldest ch ...

in 2013, as well as royal weddings, most recently the wedding of Willem-Alexander to Máxima in 2002. The investitures of Queens Wilhelmina,

Juliana Juliana (variants Julianna, Giuliana, Iuliana, Yuliana, etc) is a feminine given name which is the feminine version of the Roman name Julianus. Juliana or Giuliana was the name of a number of early saints, notably Saint Julian the Hospitaller, whi ...

and

Beatrix Beatrix is a Latin feminine given name, most likely derived from ''Viatrix'', a feminine form of the Late Latin name ''Viator'' which meant "voyager, traveller" and later influenced in spelling by association with the Latin word ''beatus'' or "ble ...

also took place there.

History

After the Oude Kerk ("Old Church") grew too small for the expanding population of the town, the

bishop of Utrecht List of bishops and archbishops of the diocese and archdioceses of Utrecht. Medieval diocese from 695 to 1580 Founders of the Utrecht diocese * * * * * Bishops * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ...

gave permission to build a second parish church, the Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church"). Construction began in 1380 and finished in 1408. This new church was consecrated in 1409 to St. Mary and St. Catherine, and the first services were held in 1410. The church was damaged by the city fires of 1421 and 1452 and burned down almost entirely in 1645, after which it was rebuilt in Gothic style. In 1578 the building became a

Dutch Reformed The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal fami ...

church. It underwent major renovation in 1892–1914, which added many

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

details, and was again renovated in 1959–80. The second renovation proved expensive for the Dutch Reformed Church, forcing the church to be closed most of the time in order to save money on maintenance. To keep the church open, ownership was transferred in 1979 to a newly formed cultural foundation called the Nationale Stichting De Nieuwe Kerk.

Notable interments

The Nieuwe Kerk is a burial site for Dutch naval heroes, including Admiral

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch States Navy officer. His achievements with the Dutch navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars earned him the reputation as one of the most skilled naval commanders in ...

, Commodore

Jan van Galen Johan "Jan" van Galen (1604 – 23 March 1653) was a Commodore of the Republic of the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands. he participated in the First Anglo-Dutch War. Biography Johan van Galen was born in Essen. He fought in the ...

, and lieutenant commander

Jan van Speyk Jan Carel Josephus van Speyk (31 January 1802 – 5 February 1831) was a Royal Netherlands Navy officer who became a public hero in the Netherlands for his opposition to the Belgian Revolution. Life Early life Born in Amsterdam in 1 ...

. Despite being

, the poet and playwright

Joost van den Vondel Joost van den Vondel (; 17 November 1587 – 5 February 1679) was a Dutch playwright, poet, literary translator and writer. He is generally regarded as the greatest writer in the Dutch language as well as an important figure in the history of Wes ...

is buried in the church.

Gallery

File:Sundial on church.jpg, Sun dial on West side File:Nkerk2.jpg, Original entrance (the former stained-glass window was bricked up when the organ was installed) File:huisjes.jpg, Houses built up against the church File:P1020907Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam.JPG, Choir gate by

Johannes Lutma Janus, or Johannes Lutma the elder (Emden, c. 1584 – Amsterdam, January 1669) was a well-known Dutch people, Dutch silversmith. Biography He was a pupil of Paulus van Vianen who was known for his auricular style in silver, so-called for i ...

File:P1020914Preekstoel.JPG, Pulpit by

Albert Jansz Vinckenbrinck Albert Jansz Vinckenbrink (1604 in Spaarndam – 1665 in Amsterdam), was a Dutch Golden Age sculptor in Amsterdam. File:Albert Jansz. Vinckenbrinck - Vanitas Skull with case, 1650.jpg, Albert Jansz. Vinckenbrinck - Vanitas Skull With Case, 1650. R ...

File:P1020913Detail Preekstoel.JPG, Detail of pulpit sounding board (from above) File:Amsterdam nieuwe kerk interieur.jpg, Organ File:P1020910 copyTranseptorgel.jpg, Transept organ (Van Hagerbeer 1645/Flentrop 1989) File:P1020915Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam.JPG, Stained-glass window of William IV, Count of Holland awarding the coat of arms to Amsterdam in 1342 File:P1020916Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam.JPG, Stained-glass window File:Amsterdam - Een tuin van glas (2005) van Marc Mulders.jpg, '' A Garden of Glass'' File:Michielderuytercoffin.jpg,

coffin under the monument File:DirkvdM eenlandeensamenleving 1.jpg, Panel presentation and discussion in front of Michiel de Ruyter memorial monument. File:Praalgraf De Ruyter.JPG, Michiel de Ruyter memorial (detail) by Rombout Verhulst File:Amsterdam wapenbord.JPG, Coats of arms with the titles of the Dutch head of state

References

External links

Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam
{{Authority control Dam Square Churches in Amsterdam Former churches in the Netherlands Rijksmonuments in Amsterdam Gothic architecture in the Netherlands