I just have a few more pics I wanted to share about the church.
This is a side picture of the church. Can you see the buildings in the distance? The church is encircled by these buildings; actually they are homes. Hundreds of years ago (around the 14th century) , these homes were owned by the Beguines. These were women that came from affluent families, but they had a desire to serve the Roman Catholic Church. They were not nuns, but they promised to remain celibate. They cared for the poor and ran an orphanage on this property. Even today, the houses are restricted to unmarried women and no man is ever allowed to spend the night.
This is the inside of the church. The ceiling looks like the hull of a ship. This is because the carpenters were as used to building ships as they were building houses. If you look closely these words are written on the front wall (right under the stained glass window): Create In Me a Clean Heart, O God. These words from the Psalms were the theme for the first sermon preached in this church. During WWII, when Holland was occupied by the Germans, this church was confiscated. They hung the swastika and the colors of the German Navy from the chancel wall. They also changed the verse in the front to one that was better suited to their philosophy: The Kingdom of God is Not in Words but in Power.
You might be able to click on the photos to enlarge them and read about the Begijnhof.
This is a brass lectern embellishment presented to the church by William the III and his wife, Mary Stuart. It is a lion , below which is the monogram of William and Mary: WMRR, anno 1689.
The other church I attended was the Westerkerk (West Church). All the those pictures are on a disposable camera that still needs to be developed, so I'll save those pictures for another day.
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