The patron saints of the Netherlands are two saints I had never heard of before. Saint Willbrord was an Anglo-Saxon monk, bishop, and missionary who became the first Bishop of Utrecht and is known as the “Apostle to the Frisians.” The Frisians were a Germanic ethnic group inhabiting the coastal regions of the Netherlands, northwest Germany, and parts of southern Denmark. They were known for their unique language, culture, and historical influence in the North Sea area. Saint Willbrord was born in 658 and died in 739.

The second patron saint of the Netherlands is Saint Plechelm who lived to the ripe old age of 100 and died in 730. Saint Plechelm was an English Saxon born in southern Scotland. He is credited for building a monastery in Sint Odilienberg in the Netherlands – also known as St. Peter’s Mount. This monastery was instrumental in the Christianization of the Netherlands.

The Catholic faith flourished throughout the Netherlands until the 1500s when the country embraced Protestantism following the reformation. As I prepared for this trip, one of the travel books I read spoke of a hidden Catholic Church in Amsterdam. Once the Netherlands officially accepted the Protestant faith, Catholic churches and monasteries were confiscated and Catholics were forbidden to practice their faith in public spaces. This led to hidden house churches.

I found one of these hidden Catholic churches on a busy shopping street in Amsterdam.

The church was built in 1672 as a shelter church and was first located inside the house itself. It was then moved in 1710 to the garden area behind the home. In 1853, the hidden church was replaced with a larger neo-gothic church when Catholics were again permitted to hold public services. The official name of this church is the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. However, the nickname is De Papegaai which means The Parrot because the owner of the house and garden was a bird trader. The De Papegaai is the largest Amsterdam hidden church still in use and is a national monument.

On Saturday evening, I went to the de Krijtberg Catholic Church for Mass in English. As I did my research to find a Mass to attend, I was quite taken back by the list of Latin Masses available in the city. During my travels, I have been to several Masses in different languages. I am always able to follow along despite the language barrier because the flow of the Mass is the same. I cannot remember when I last attended a Latin Mass. I knew I would be lost in the service and, therefore, focused on finding an English or Dutch Mass. The English Mass at de Krijtberg was beautiful and well attended.

This church has been entrusted to the Jesuits since 1620. Since that time, there has been a Jesuit church at this location. The current church was built in 1881 and opened in 1883.

In all my travels, I have learned that the best way to explore a new place is to get lost on purpose. However, one of the places I knew I needed to find before exploring was Amsterdam Centraal (this is the correct Dutch spelling).

Amsterdam Centraal is the largest railway station in Amsterdam and the busiest in the country. My travel plans included two train trips to nearby cities. Once I was acclimated to the walking route from my hotel to the train station, I began exploring.

As I walked back from the train station, I noticed a beautiful church building on the opposite side of the canal.

The ***Basilica of Saint Nicholas*** is the city’s primary Roman Catholic church. Construction for this beautiful basilica began in 1884 and was completed in 1887.

The architecture throughout the city was absolutely stunning.

One of the unique architectural features in Amsterdam and other nearby cities are the hooks noted at the top of the homes.

Amsterdam houses have hooks at the top because they were historically used to lift goods and furniture into the houses, particularly those with narrow staircases and doorways. These hooks were used in conjunction with a pulley system to lift goods to the upper floors of the home. Another interesting discovery was that the houses were designed with a slight forward lean to help avoid hitting and damaging windows while utilizing the pulley system.

Canals are everywhere in Amsterdam. A tour of the city would not be complete without a canal tour. The city looks much different from the water.

As I waited for the canal tour to begin, I noticed the ***Anne Frank House.***

***Anne Frank*** was a German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary documenting her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands. I remember reading her book ***The Diary of a Young Girl*** in the eighth grade. Her story touched me in so many ways.

It is difficult to capture the canal tour in still photos. Be sure to watch the video below for a full view of all that was seen.

My first day trip from Amsterdam was to the city of Haarlem (correct Dutch spelling). As I exited the train station in Haarlem, I couldn’t help but notice bikers effortlessly transporting their bicycles up the stairs by way of a special groove on the side of the stairwell (see video below).

As I walked from the train station to the center square, it wasn’t long before I found another familiar site.

Scattered throughout Haarlem I found gold tiles indicating the names of Jews deported and killed during the Nazi regime.

I had seen these stones before in Italy and Spain. These stones are known as ***Stolpersteine*** or ***Stumbling Stones*** and are placed in the pavement outside the last known residence of the victim along with their date of birth and where they were sent.

I continued my walk through the center of town to the Amsterdamse Poort (correct Dutch spelling).

This city gate was created in 1355 and is the only remaining city gate in Haarlem. In 1631, a new canal and towpath were created near this gate which made it possible to travel back and forth to Amsterdam on the same day.

As I continued my stroll through the city, I saw a sign for the ***Oldest Museum in the Netherlands.***

The ***Teylers Museum in Haarlem*** was established in 1778 and opened to the public in 1784. It is considered the world’s best-preserved public arts and science building. The museum houses a collection of art, natural history, and science artifacts, including fossils, instruments, books, coins, and drawings. I enjoyed touring this museum and experiencing the beautiful history of the Netherlands.

On my list of things to see before heading to the town square was the ***Corrie ten Boom house.***

Corrie was a Dutch watchmaker and Christian writer. Together with her father and other family members, Corrie helped many Jews during the German occupation by hiding them in her home. In 1944, the family’s secret was discovered, and they were arrested and sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp. Corrie was the only family member to survive. She returned to Haarlem and the watch shop and wrote several books about her experiences. The Hiding Place is Corrie’s story of how faith, hope, and forgiveness triumphed over unthinkable evil. Corrie ten Boom died in Haarlem in 1983 on her 91st birthday.

In the beautiful town square of the city of Haarlem is the ***Great Church of Saint Bravo.***

***Saint Bravo*** is the patron saint of Haarlem and is often depicted in Christian art as a knight with a sword and falcon. This church is a former Catholic cathedral built in 1479. It was confiscated in 1578 and converted to Protestantism.

One of the main features of this church is the beautiful ***Christian Muller organ.***

Many famous musicians played this organ, including Mendelssohn, Handel, and the 10-year-old Mozart, who played it in 1766.
There are also over 400 gravestones on the floor of this church and are displayed in the video below.

Although I was impressed with the architecture and grandeur of the Great Church of Saint Bravo, I was determined to visit the Catholic Cathedral in Haarlem.

On my way, I stopped at the ***De Adriaan windmill.***

This windmill has been a part of the Haarlem skyline for centuries. The original windmill was created in 1779. The windmill was destroyed by fire in 1932 and was rebuilt in 2002. Near the base of the windmill was a beautiful café where I stopped for lunch.

The Catholic Cathedral of Saint Bravo was built from 1895 to 1930 and is the replacement for the Great Church of Saint Bravo that was converted to Protestantism in 1578.

The original Catholic Church on this site was ***Saint Joseph Cathedral***. However, this church proved to be too small resulting in the planning of a new cathedral in 1853.

One of my favorite pictures in this cathedral was at the back of the church. In the center above the main doors is a picture of Jesus. To His right is a picture of Saint Joseph pointing toward Jesus. The picture that caught my eye, however, was the picture of the Blessed Mother to the left of Jesus.

This picture captures the love of a mother toward her son. Her eyes and facial expression speak to me. I can easily hear her say, ***“Do whatever He tells you.”***

I explored every part of this cathedral and enjoyed the museum located steps below the altar area.

The next day, I traveled by ferry and bus to Keukenhof where I spent the day in a beautiful garden full of tulips and many other beautiful flowers. Also on the grounds was a windmill overlooking fields of colorful tulips.

More beautiful pictures and footage in the video below.

My last day trip from Amsterdam was to the city of Utrecht. This city boasts the tallest church tower in the Netherlands and unique two-story canals.

I arrived in Utrecht in time for their weekend market held in the town square.

After browsing through the market, I made my way to ***Saint Martin Cathedral.***

This cathedral is also known as ***Dom Church.*** In Dutch, it is ***Domkerk.*** The ***Dom Tower*** was started in 1321 and finished in 1382. The cathedral is dedicated to ***Saint Martin of Tours*** and is the country’s only pre-Reformation cathedral. Saint Martin Cathedral has been a Protestant church since 1580.

After spending some time in the cathedral, I did a quick google search for the nearest Catholic Church. When I arrived at Saint Catherine’s Cathedral, it was locked. However, I noticed one of the side doors had a doorbell. A woman came to the door and informed me that the church would be closed until noon. I asked if I could see the inside of the church. After a brief conversation, she escorted me through the sacristy to a door that led to a side entrance on the altar.

In Dutch, ***Saint Catherine’s Cathedral*** is ***Catharijnekerk.*** This church is dedicated to Saint Catherine of Alexandria and was built as part of the Carmelite friary founded in 1456. The Knights Hospitallers worked on the construction of the church in the early 1500s. The church was completed in the middle of the 16th century. From 1580 to 1815, the church was the home of a Protestant community, however, in 1815, it was returned to the Catholic Church.

I enjoyed the beauty of this little church and was grateful to the woman who provided a private viewing.

When I exited the church, I noticed a sign to the right of the church which read, “Museum Catharijne Convent.” This museum was the highlight of my trip to Utrecht. This museum exhibited paintings and modern artifacts depicting the Dutch Christian experience. It was one of the best museums I have been to and a very unexpected surprise.

Here are some of the beautiful art pieces and displays noted throughout the museum.

My favorite sculpture in the museum was the Pieta. For me, this rendition captures the grief experienced by the Blessed Mother in this scene after Jesus’ death. Her face is completely covered. The darkness around her face speaks of the intense grief she experienced.

There were several art pieces in this museum with explanations from the artists that I know I will be using in my next book that will focus on the Book of Job from the Old Testament. Stay tuned!

As I headed back to the train station near the market square, Dutch entertainment was on full display. Be sure to watch the video below to the end to see this fun experience. While viewing the video, see if you can find the portrait of Mussolini.

My adventure in the Netherlands was only the beginning of this trip. Stay tuned for another blog and video of my adventures in Belgium.