Today is Sunday - the perfect day to show you Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) on Dam Square in Amsterdam. First, a little history:

In 1408, the Roman Catholic bishop of Utrecht gave permission to build a larger church because the Oude Kerk (Old Church) had become too small for the growing population of Amsterdam. The new building was consecrated to St. Mary and St. Catharine.

In 1421 and again in 1425, fires in the city damaged the church. In 1645 it burned again, this time almost entirely. It was then rebuilt in the Gothic style of architecture. From 1892-1914 it underwent a major renovation during which many Neo-Gothic details were added. From 1959-1980 it was renovated again.

This church is no longer used for services. Instead, it is used for royal inaugurations and weddings, organ recitals and exhibitions. It is the burial site for many Dutch naval heroes, as well as famous poets and playwrights. Here is the "uitenkant" (outside) view of the main entrance from Dam Square. As you can see, we were enjoying beautiful weather that day:

As soon as you walk in, you get this overwhelming view of the main gallery:

There is stained glass everywhere, of course.

Here is the wall which houses the organ:

And the golden screen which shields the cantors from sight. This thing took my breath away. It caught every ray of light and reflected it so beautifully that I thought, "Heaven must be something like this:"

Here is a view from behind the golden screen, with the area where the cantors stand while singing:

At the opposite end of this area is a dais constructed entirely out of stunning marble:

Here is a close-up of some of the marble:

Throughout the church, there is an amazing amount of intricately carved hardwood:

The tombs are all set right into the floor of the church. It felt really weird to walk on top of them, but they were literally everywhere and impossible to avoid.

That's it for the Nieuwe Kerk. Next blog will be about the cheese market in Alkmaar. It's very colourful!