THE NIEUWE KERK

The Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) has been the site of the investiture of the kings and queens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1814. The last such occasion was on 30 April 1980, when Queen Juliana abdicated from the throne in the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. On the same day the investiture of her successor, the present Queen Beatrix, took place in the Nieuwe Kerk. Only once before has a royal wedding taken place in Amsterdam: in 1966 when Princess Beatrix married Claus von Amsberg in the Westerkerk. The Nieuwe Kerk is no longer used for regular services, but functions as an active and flourishing cultural centre. The wedding of the Prince of Orange and Máxima Zorreguieta was the first to be held in this church for 50 years.

The Nieuwe Kerk is one of the largest and most important monuments in Amsterdam. It is also a storehouse for a substantial part of the history of the Netherlands and of Amsterdam, housing the tomb of Admiral Michiel Adriaensz. de Ruyter, the tombstones of the other great seventeenth-century naval heroes Van Galen, Van Kinsbergen and Van Speijk, and the epitaphs for the 17th-century poet Joost van den Vondel and for Baron Bentinck. The choir screen is an essential element in the church's interior. Together with the great organ and the pulpit, it forms a brilliant ensemble from the period when Amsterdam was at the height of its glory.

Construction of the Nieuwe Kerk began in around 1408, when the church was still dedicated to St. Mary and St. Catharine. At that time the church was much more modest in size. Around 1500 a series of chapels was added around the side aisles and the rear of the choir, and continued to the west of the transept with a further two bays, giving the church its present size. The interior must have been particularly beautiful at that time, being richly adorned with paintings, statues of saints and altars. This interior changed following the Alteration of 1578, when the Nieuwe Kerk was taken into use by the Protestants, who removed the altars and saints.

In 1645 the church was devastated by fire which left only the walls and columns standing. This was followed by a major restoration project. After completion of the restoration, the church was furnished in 17th-century style. The rood loft was replaced by a brass screen on a marble base. The nave acquired an exceptionally richly worked pulpit by Albert Janszoon Vinckenbrinck. The architect of the Royal Palace, Jacob van Campen, designed the casing of the great Schonat/Hagerbeer organ, and the picture was completed with sculpture by Artus Quellinus and painted panels by Jan Gerritszoon Bronckhorst.

The choir screen was designed by the famous precious metal worker Johannes Lutma, a contemporary of Rembrandt. Of its kind, the screen is unequalled in the wealth and splendour of its working. The church underwent a thorough restoration which was completed in 1980, just before the investiture of Queen Beatrix.