Exploring De Oude Kerk in Amsterdam

The church provides a computer from which you can access the tombs on the internet website, a growing database which to date describes 8492 graves, however it was not functioning when we were there. Luckily for me, I had WiFi on my phone and used it to learn who some of the people were who had been buried beneath our feet.

I ended up needing the help of one of the church workers to locate gravestone E41 of Jacob Matroos Beeldsnijder. This worker told me he found the gravestone a couple years prior and profiled it and he wondered if I may perhaps be a relative, since not too many people ask for that gravestone. I assured him that I was no relative, but I was interested in seeing it. In fact, even N’ku was perplexed as to why I had to find gravestone E41 which honestly is quite difficult to find because although the majority of gravestones are numbered they are not always in an obvious pattern. She at this point, was done with the Church since she had found Saskia’s grave and I was still taking my sweet time exploring. 

So why was I interested in Jacob Matroos Beeldsnijder’s (American: Bellsnyder) gravestone? I don’t know. Maybe it’s because he was born a slave and I didn’t think there were former slaves buried in Dutch church grounds. I think that it’s great that his remains lie in this great church as, well, proof of not only the Dutch involvement in the trans-atlantic slave trade but also proof that African peoples did live in Amsterdam during the Golden Age and perhaps slavery was in fact at the doorstep of Amsterdam and not just out there in the colonies even though this does not seem to be acknowledged. 

I’ve googled him since and learnt so much. He (and his twin Ernst) were born slaves in Suriname to a mulatto woman whose Afro-Surinamese mother’s name was Adjuba. Adjuba, Edjoba. Hmmm. Sounds like an Nzema name to me, which is highly possible because I know that a lot of Black Surinamese were taken from the coast of what is now modern day Ghana. Jacob’s father was a Dutchman, Jacob Wolphert Beeldsnijder, who was at one time Governor of Suriname and who came from a respectable family. After being given his freedom from slavery, the younger Jacob spent some years as a youth in Netherlands, then returned to Suriname where he held several jobs. Taken ill as an adult, he returned to Amsterdam where he eventually died and was buried here in De Oude Kerk leaving behind a wife and several children in Suriname.

When his gravestone was pointed out to me, a great wave of satisfaction came over me. I had insisted to N’ku that I wasn’t leaving the church without seeing his grave.  No, he’s not my ancestor, but right then and there, I could imagine what it must feel like to find an ancestor. The icing on the cake of course is his maternal grandmother’s possibly Nzema name, Adjuba.

Anyway, after finding his gravestone, my mind was free to enjoy other aspects of Oude Kerk. The curator did tell me that each burial plot was actually rented out for a defined period of time. Some were used by families, others sold and used by others. For example, Rembrandt sold Saskia’s plot 20 years later to pay off some debts. 

Dirck van Delen. Iconoclasm in a Church (1630) Oil on Panel painting held at Rijksmuseum

Next of interest was the vault. Actually, before I get to that, when you first walk in you are amazed by how grand yet bare it is inside. I have visited many churchs (in Rome and southern France) and could see the stark difference. Though this former Saint Nicholas Church was built as a Catholic Church, it fell victim to the Alteration (1578), the Protestant Reformation notable for iconoclastic cleansing of Catholic churches  from France through Netherlands. Imagine the losses. Of course, I take this persecution personal because I am Catholic myself, but I never knew that the Catholics of these countries in that time period had to revert to secret prayer or face persecution. Yes, somehow I missed learning about the Alteration in my high school world history class.

The majestic columns holding up the vault…now imagine them painted in gold

Stained glass art

The majestic organ

So, the vault. Because the typical grand paintings, sculptures, altars, relics and such of Catholic churches are gone, you get to appreciate the acrhitecture of the church itself. These include the wonderful stained glass windows and the large main organ. But above your head in this cavernous space is an enormous 15th-century wooden barrel vault with images of saints. It is the largest medieval wooden vault in all of Europe!

Close up of saints on the wooden vault

The Oude Kerk is sometimes called Amsterdam’s living room. In its heyday, people gathered to share news (gossip) and beggars sought shelter. At one point, the church became a center for the registry of marriages.
Hence the red door. 

Translation: Marry in haste, repent at leisure

N’ku and I debated (and disagreed upon) the meaning of the phrase. I understood it as go ahead and rush to get married to keep up appearances and societal expectations forgetting that divorce is not an option, but don’t worry, there are all these brothels around to help, and you can go for Communion regularly to repent. LOL! I did say I was Catholic right? So maybe, N’ku’s interpretation is better. Rush to get married and you will have a whole lifetime to regret that decision. 

An exhibition on display

These days, while services are still held in the Oude Kerk it also serves as a concert hall and an exhibition and reception area. While we were there, there were school children providing a free orchestral performance. N’ku was not pleased with “the noise” because it took away from the ambiance of this old church and while I agree that orchestral ABBA songs are not quite what you would expect to hear in a church, I did not mind as much.

The ABBA playing child orchestra

I actually sat in the old pews to enjoy some of the music myself. I imagined kneeling on the weathered benches for hours on end. The seats closer to the choir were hinged and on the flipped side were these carved ledges. I was told that these were misericords (or mercy seats) and that the ledges were designed for people to rest their bums against so they didn’t have to put all their weight on their legs standing during lengthy medieval Catholic church services. It was very peculiar and dare I say hilarious seeing imagery of a very decidedly non-religious and whimsical nature. That’s probably why they survived the Reformation.

Misericords with thought-provoking picture proverbs

I found my visit to De Oude Kerk rather enjoyable and very enlightening. Later in my trip I had a chance to visit the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) which was holding an informative exhibition of the Royal family, but I by far enjoyed the Oude Kerk as one of the most fascinating places in the entire city, if I may declare so myself, and I didn’t even get to climb the tower. It’s so quintessential Amsterdam, actually. 

It was €3.50 (Holland pass discount) well spent!