Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder

Discover one of Amsterdam's most remarkable secrets: a fully functioning Catholic church hidden in the attic of a Golden Age canal house.

Museum Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder ('Our Lord in the Attic') is one of Amsterdam's most extraordinary hidden treasures. During the 17th century, when Catholics were forbidden from worshipping publicly, a wealthy merchant named Jan Hartman built a secret church in the upper floors of his canal house. The church, which could hold 150 worshippers, remained in use until 1887 and is now one of the best-preserved examples of a clandestine Catholic church in the world. On Museum Night, the museum offers candlelit tours of the church and the beautifully preserved domestic rooms below, with a special programme exploring the history of religious tolerance — and intolerance — in Amsterdam.

Programme highlights

Location