Our Lord in the Attic, a Secret Church

 November 3, 2024

Having been transferred to the ship from our hotel on Sunday afternoon, there was a couple of hours at our disposal.  Since our rooms were ready, I could have just relaxed on the ship, but I decided to take one last walk into the city.  I had been struggling with some of the very prevalent, and unsavory aspects of the city, like the cloying smell of pot over everything, and openness of prostitution, and sex in general. As I walked, I prayed that God would allow me to see some beauty, and hide some of the negative from my eyes.  

Once away from the ship terminal area, I just started walking into the downtown, admiring the ancient buildings and narrow streets.  Some of the buildings are tipping to one side or the other, like this brick one.

Below, the "new" Church of Saint Nicholas, built in 1795, and consecrated in 1887 was constructed to replace the original Church of Saint Nicolas (ca 1300) that was closed in 1578 when Protestants gained power and Catholic churches had to go into hiding.  The old church was renamed, Oude Kerk.  That older building remains, but I believe it is a museum now.

Rounding a street corner, I spotted this beautiful Nativity display in a window.  On the adjacent door, it simply said, "Museum".  Being Sunday, I assumed that it wouldn't be open, but trying the door, I found that it was.  I walked up to the young man at the counter to inquire what the museum was about, and he replied, "It's about a hidden church, and if you tour it, I think you will be pleasantly surprised".  So I paid admission and received a little listening device that I could point at each sign along the way to hear information (in English) at my own pace.  

Our Lord in the Attic, is a restored Catholic church that resided in the top three floors of a canal house.  Not receiving any printed information, it's hard to remember all if it, but the house (or possibly several combined homes) was owned by a merchant.  When Catholics were no longer allowed to worship freely in their churches, this merchant provided space for worshippers.  The photos are of both his and his family's living spaces, and the spaces set aside for the church.  

Individual tiles on the wall here were varied scenes of children playing.

This box bed in the wall would have kept the sleeper cozy.

The owner of the home was clearly wealthy as he had many fine pieces of art on his walls.

I lost count of how many flights of stairs there were.  The entire tour was kind of like a maze, going up and down again.  The signs were numbered so there was a route to follow, but I'm not sure why we couldn't have just toured each floor one at a time.  I believe that there was more than one house involved, so that may have been the reason.  One thing all the stairs had in common was that they were crazy steep, and had very shallow steps.  I'm so thankful that I had my hip replaced in July as I would have never been able to do a single flight without it.

Some of the stairs were so steep, they were more of a ladder.

That's enough stairs for now, though there were several more.  The top three floors had been beautifully crafted into a very luxurious place of worship for those faithful members of the Catholic church.  Below is an overview, looking down from the attic.

The organ was on the level below the attic.  Here is the front of it, with it's single compact keyboard, and the next photo is of the pipes.  Quite simple and humble compared to most.

On this level was also a bedroom for the priest, and some nice windows to look out over the city.

The confessional box was on this floor as well.

Elements for Catholic mass on display.  A baptismal font was standing nearby.

The pews were graceful wooden chairs attached into rows.

For a "house church", the altar was anything but simple.  Some of the details can be seen in the photos below.

On the left side of the altar, the dark green pedestal opens up, and the pulpit is pulled out on wheels.

The painted mural behind the altar.

Above the mural, a sculpture of "God".

Coming down the last stair, I made my way back to the museum entrance.  It was already getting dark out, so I quickly browsed the small gift shop and selected an ornate cross ornament for my Christmas tree.  A souvenir of this peaceful place.

That would have been a lovely end to the evening, but it was not to be.  A bit short on time, and despite it being only 4:00 in the afternoon, it was getting somewhat dark.  I was due back at the ship for a mandatory meeting, and had a bit of a walk.  When I reached the canal outside the museum, I had thought to retrace my steps back to the ship but was unsure, as I had taken such a circuitous route getting there.

I decided to take what seemed like a good shortcut.  It was not.  I found myself on the most disgusting street.  Much of this area is considered the red light district.  I knew that, but, as many of the prominent landmarks were there, I'd just tried to ignore the fact.  This time I couldn't.  I took no pictures, and won't describe the shops I walked by.  I reeked of pot and felt absolutely filthy.  I'm perfectly fine being considered a prude, but I want no part of that lifestyle.  I kept my eyes straight ahead and my wits about me until I got through that street and out to an open area.  I was thrilled when I got back to the main street leading to the railway station.

A view of the church of Saint Nicholas, bathed in the golden light of evening.

And then, the enormous train station.  From there, it was only another ten minutes of fast walking, and I was on the ship.  Just in time to go straight into the meeting, and from there, into the dining room for our first dinner.

I believe that all of our experiences, both good and bad, can play a part in shaping us into who we are.  I could have done without that particular experience, but in time perhaps I'll gain something positive from it.  Certainly I am thankful to be safely on the other side of it.  And perhaps for a short memory as well.