Head a few steps south of Amsterdam Central Station, and there you are: just a few hundred meters to the left, the Basilica of St. Nicholas (Basiliek van de H. Nicolaas) is one of the first sights of the city . It is therefore puzzling that this majestic church, towering over its street, is so often overlooked. In fact, its popularity is dwarfed by that of the other historic churches in Amsterdam.
The architect Adrianus Bleijs built the cruciform church between 1884 and 1887, at a time when Neo-Gothic architecture was favored by Catholic churches. (Visitors only need to look behind them, at PJH Cuyper Central Station, completed in 1889, to see an example of typical Neo-Gothic architecture of the time.) At 58 meters high, the rear dome is one of the Church’s most prominent features, a harmony of neo-baroque and neo-Renaissance elements. Two shorter towers rise on either side of the church’s entrance.
In 2012, 125 years after its consecration, the church was promoted to a basilica.
Interior of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas
The art inside the church displays a variety of artists and mediums. One such artist is the Flemish sculptor Perre van den Bossche, whose classicist and baroque-inspired sculpture adorns the altars and pulpit of the church; The studio he founded is most famous for the Gouden Koets, the chariot that transports the Dutch queen to her annual speech in the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives on Prince’s Day.
The church walls present the life’s work of the Dutch painter Jan Dunselman, who was famous for his Stations of the Cross; Sint Nicolaaskerk contains an example from Dunselman’s stations as part of the work it contributed to the church. His illustration of the Eucharistic Miracle of Amsterdam appears on the left arm of the church transept.
Sint Nicolaaskerk (Church of St. Nicholas) Visitor Information
Prince Hendrikkade 73
1012 AD Amsterdam
- Free pass.
- Indications: The Basilica of Saint Nicholas is right in front of Amsterdam Central Station. From the south side of the station, go left onto Prins Hendrikkade; The church is on the opposite side of the street.
