Westerkerk
The Westerkerk—the “Western Church”—was built to serve a specifically Protestant purpose in a city that, since the Reformation of 1578, had already been converting older churches to the Dutch Calvinist faith. Construction began in 1620 and the church was completed and inaugurated on June 8, 1631, with the design attributed to Hendrick de Keyser and the work finished by his son Pieter de Keyser. Its plan is distinctive: a three-aisled basilica with a rectangular layout shaped by two transepts of equal dimensions, forming two interlinked Greek-cross patterns. Inside, the church’s worship practices also left a mark. On Pentecost Sunday, June 8, 1631, there was no organ, because instrumental music was considered profane under Calvinist belief. That changed only after years of debate, and in 1681 the church commissioned organ builder Roelof Barentszn Duyschot—a shift that reflects how Protestant culture in Amsterdam adapted over time. …
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