Today we visited the Our Lord in the Attic Church and the Anne Frank House. Both sites taught us about the religious oppression that existed during different times in Dutch history.
Our Lord in the Attic
When the Protestants took over the Netherlands in the 17th century, they banned the practice of Catholicism. This meant that Catholics had to hide their religious practices. In 1663, a church was secretly built within three buildings in Amsterdam. This church was commissioned by Jan Hartman, a wealthy merchant. He, his wife, and two children also lived in the house. Jan was a Catholic who was well-endowed enough to create a hidden church. He also had a business room decorated with Italian marble, china, and a fake family crest to impress other colleagues.
The church has three levels and enough room for 150 people. It contains a confessional, a baptismal font, and an organ. Since its creation, it has been repainted many times, with its most recent color being an 18th-century addition. The church is fitted with a huge altar and elaborate carvings. These carvings depict various religious figures, with one of the most prominent ones being a depiction of God. There is also a large painting behind the altar, once again depicting God. The altar and tabernacle are other beautiful items that were carefully crafted.
Today, the third floor is closed off due to structural issues within the church. The rafters are nonexistent as the building is hollowed out to fit the church. Because of this, the balcony is caving inwards. I was also surprised by the sheer amount of items within the building, especially all the marble. On a previous tour, a tour guide stated that the Dutch built houses to be as light as possible so as not to disrupt the ground underneath. This church (and house in general) seemed to have a lot of weight.
Following the Hartman family’s death, a Protestant family bought the property. This family allowed Catholics to continue practicing–so long as they paid rent. This seemed somewhat unexpected to me, but our tour guide explained that even though they forbid the practice of Catholicism, they really only banned the public practice. Many hidden Catholic churches existed but were left to their own so long as the Catholics kept to themselves. The tour guide stated this was because of the “tolerance” of the Dutch people. While I think this “tolerance” is subjective, I also think that they were definitely more tolerant towards Catholics than the Catholics were to anyone else.
Anne Frank House
Anne Frank has an infamous story. In summary, she and her family were 4 out of the 8 people who lived in an attic in Amsterdam for roughly 2 years. The place they lived in was Otto Frank’s, Anne Frank’s father, business office. The 8 were discovered in 1944 and sent to various concentration camps. Anne eventually died of typhus here and her father was the only survivor of the 8.
This tour was very moving. I knew most of it already from schooling but seeing it firsthand really made me realize how the Franks were just normal people. Seeing how they marked their children’s height on the wall, took photos of their children on the first day of school, and hung posters up, really made me realize that the Franks were just a family. It also demonstrated to me that humans have not changed all that much. While the 1940s were not super long ago, it’s odd to thing that people back then did the same things as we do now.
Regarding time, going to the Anne Frank house also enlightened my regarding people lost to time. The only reason that we even know these people existed was because of Anne’s Diary. The only reason we knew her friend existed and was given a game was because Anne wrote it down. Seeing the grocery list from Miep’s jacket pocket that she found after the war made my heart ache. I imagined Miep finally putting on her winter coat after a long summer and pulling the paper out. I thought about how she had known these people for two years and tried to keep them safe, only for them to be taken right at the end.
I also thought about how the Netherlands was taken over by the Germans in 5 days. There was an exhibit that stated that one should stand up to democracy. I found that very intriguing and important to listen to. I think what was said is applicable to American politics.