Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder
Title
Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder
Description
Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic) is a clandestine Catholic church located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The building itself had been an ordinary canal house since the 14th century. However, its interior was converted to a secret Catholic Church following the religious conflicts and social tension within the Netherlands in the mid-1600s ("Museum...").
When the Reformation wave with Lutheranism began, Netherlands' religious structure was not shaken as much as other countries. The Catholic Church held its ground and was aiming to increase their dominance. However, Calvinism was much more influential and successful compared to Lutheranism. When Calvinism struck Netherlands about two decades after Lutheranism (around 1540s), the religious tension within Dutch society led to a surge of iconoclasm in 1566. This sudden explosion of iconoclasm during the Reformation became known as the "Beeldenstorm" which translates to "statute storm" in English. Catholicism was now being oppressed as its was being attacked in an aggressive and riotous manner ("Netherlands").
Calvinism's and the Dutch Reformed Church's forceful rise to dominancy meant the defeat of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands (both socially and territoralily). Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder, in a sense, is a symbol of the change and chaos brought by the Reformation. Although this clandestine church was not built in the same century, the Reformed Church continued their dominancy. It represents the oppressive atmosphere of the time period in which religious tolerance was not present.
References:
"Museum Ons' Lieve Heer Op Solder." Ons' Lieve Heer Op Solder. November 02, 2017. Accessed November 16, 2018. https://www.opsolder.nl/en.
"Netherlands." Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed November 18, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/.
When the Reformation wave with Lutheranism began, Netherlands' religious structure was not shaken as much as other countries. The Catholic Church held its ground and was aiming to increase their dominance. However, Calvinism was much more influential and successful compared to Lutheranism. When Calvinism struck Netherlands about two decades after Lutheranism (around 1540s), the religious tension within Dutch society led to a surge of iconoclasm in 1566. This sudden explosion of iconoclasm during the Reformation became known as the "Beeldenstorm" which translates to "statute storm" in English. Catholicism was now being oppressed as its was being attacked in an aggressive and riotous manner ("Netherlands").
Calvinism's and the Dutch Reformed Church's forceful rise to dominancy meant the defeat of the Catholic Church in the Netherlands (both socially and territoralily). Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder, in a sense, is a symbol of the change and chaos brought by the Reformation. Although this clandestine church was not built in the same century, the Reformed Church continued their dominancy. It represents the oppressive atmosphere of the time period in which religious tolerance was not present.
References:
"Museum Ons' Lieve Heer Op Solder." Ons' Lieve Heer Op Solder. November 02, 2017. Accessed November 16, 2018. https://www.opsolder.nl/en.
"Netherlands." Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed November 18, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/.
Creator
Unknown
Source
Image 1:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ons%27_Lieve_Heer_op_Solder#/media/File:Ons%27_Lieve_Heer_op_Solder_2396.jpg
Image 2:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Onze_lieve_heer_op_zolder.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ons%27_Lieve_Heer_op_Solder#/media/File:Ons%27_Lieve_Heer_op_Solder_2396.jpg
Image 2:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Onze_lieve_heer_op_zolder.jpg
Date
Mid-17th Century
Contributor
Kaan Taskintuna
Rights
Image 1: Courtesy of Amsterdam Municipal Department for the Preservation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites (bMA). Permission to use as long as the copyright holder is given credit
Image 2: CC BY-SA 4.0, Free to share
Image 2: CC BY-SA 4.0, Free to share
Original Format
Image 1: Photograph
Image 2: Photograph
Image 2: Photograph
Citation
Unknown, “Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder,” HIST 139 - Early Modern Europe, accessed April 25, 2026, https://earlymoderneurope.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/150.