Amsterdam’s oldest surviving building grew from a thirteenth-century chapel into a Gothic hall church shaped by port trades, religious change, and generations of burial. Its guild chapels, memorials, music, and contemporary art keep the city’s layered history present.
Quick facts
The church was consecrated to Saint Nicholas on 17 September 1306; the Nieuwe Kerk’s opening in 1409 gave the older church its familiar name.
Around 60,000 people were buried in the Oude Kerk between the thirteenth century and 1865, according to the church; Saskia Uylenburgh is among them.
Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck’s public organ performances continued after the 1578 Alteration, although organs were no longer allowed during services.
Get directions to Oude Kerk. Confirm the visitor entrance and current access with the venue before travelling.
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Guide
Oude Kerk stands on ground made by the Amstel where it meets the IJ: a raised bank of river clay that offered early residents a firm place for a chapel and burial ground. The church’s beginnings are usually dated to about 1250, when a small wooden chapel served a settlement still closely tied to water and trade. On 17 September 1306, the Bishop of Utrecht consecrated a stone church as Sint Nicolaaskerk, after Saint Nicholas, patron of sailors.
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