Moses and Aaron Church, Amsterdam, Netherlands

In the first centuries after the Reformation, the public display of Roman Catholic services and accessories was not tolerated – officially forbidden in 1660 – in Amsterdam. So in 1641 the Franciscans opened a house church, the second of its kind in the city, at a house called the 'Moyses' (Moses), at the back of the present church. In 1682, the house was joined by the neighboring house 'Aäron' (Aaron) with the purchase by Dr. Johannes de Vroom, a physician from Breda.

The present building was built between 1837 and 1841 from a design by Tilman-François Suys (1783-1861) in the style of neoclassicism, with three aisles and a recessed rectangular choir. The facade, with its twin towers, was said to be inspired by the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris and Santissima Trinità dei Monti in Rome.

The baroque altar, dating from about 1700, came from the original church with a painting 'The Resurrection of Jesus' by Jacob de Wit (1695–1754). On the walls are the reliefs of the fourteen Stations of the Cross, made by a Flemish sculptor, Petrus Elysens van den Bossche (1841–1921).

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Religious sites in Netherlands

Bengtskär Lighthouse

Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.

German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.

After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.

Hil B. (2 years ago)
Church reopened, beautiful architecture.

Cezar Comorasu (2 years ago)
Renovation. Is covered, but I think is another beautiful sight in the NL.

Hermes van Amstel (4 years ago)
Somewhat stern looking church, now in use as an event venue. Easy to reach by metro stop Waterloopplein.

Ga Lammers (5 years ago)
Great place to listen and say a prayer

John Adamowski (5 years ago)
Easy to find, difficult to photograph.

Moses and Aaron Church

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Bengtskär Lighthouse