De Engelse Kerk

About the history of the Englisch Church

The first church in the Begijnhof was consecrated in 1419 and provided a place of worship for the lay community of nuns, the Begijnen or Beguines, who lived in the court around. The wooden church, along with most of the Begijnhof and a significant part of Amsterdam was burnt down in the fire of 1421. All but the church tower was destroyed.

Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the Begijnhof and its chapel were rebuilt in brick and stone. During the Reformation the church was closed when the city fathers disallowed all but Reformed worship.

The church lay unused for 20 years until it was given to the English-speaking worshippers in Amsterdam in 1607. Since then, our congregation has flourished, keeping English-language worship in the heart of Amsterdam except for a short period during German occupation in the Second World War.