New Kirk

About

The Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam began construction around 1380 and was consecrated to St. Mary and St. Catherine on November 25, 1409. Built as the city's second parish church to supplement the older Oude Kerk, it became a Protestant church in 1578. Since the inauguration of King Willem I in 1814, the church has hosted the investiture of every subsequent Dutch monarch, including Willem II (1840), Willem III (1849), Queen Wilhelmina (1898), Queen Juliana (1948), Queen Beatrix (1980), and King Willem-Alexander (2013). No longer used for regular worship, it has served since the 1980s as an exhibition space and organ concert venue, and is the burial place of naval admiral Michiel de Ruyter and poet Joost van den Vondel, among others.