A Hidden Treasure
In the heart of Amsterdam’s bustling centre lies one of the city’s oldest museums: Our Lord in the Attic. Here visitors get to experience the Dutch Golden Age in a special way; a 17th-century house with a top floor converted into a church.
Jan Hartman bought this house on Oudezijds Voorburgwal and the two adjacent buildings on Heintje Hoekssteeg 350 years ago. He had the attics of the three houses rebuilt into a Catholic church conforming to the conventions of the day, yet nothing on the outside could suggest that there was a church inside.

Building for the Future
In 2008, the need for restoration and expansion prompted Our Lord in the Attic to draw up a project plan, the results of which are now gradually becoming apparent. The restoration of the church has reached an advanced stage and the extension, namely the work on the neighbouring building, is getting under way. Access to Jan Hartman’s historical house will be through an underground passage beginning in this building. Much excavation and construction will be needed before it is ready, however.

An empty house, full of stories
While restoration continues in 2011, much of the historical house is empty, all the decoration and exhibits removed. Floors, wall and construction are visible in their purest form. An audio tour relates the events that befell the residents in the 17th century, the history of the house and how the church functioned over the centuries.