Processie met het St. Nicolaasbeeld te Amsterdam, 1534 1722 - 1784

This image shows a procession with the statue of Saint Nicholas in Amsterdam in 1534. It was made by Simon Fokke sometime in the 18th century. The print depicts a religious parade in front of a large church. The faithful kneel as the statue passes by. Amsterdam was a Catholic city in 1534, but within a few decades, the Protestant Reformation would take hold and change the city forever. The Catholic churches would be seized and repurposed for Protestant worship. Fokke made this print over two centuries later. By then, the Netherlands was a Protestant country. So, we must ask, what was Fokke trying to say about Amsterdam's Catholic past? Was he nostalgic for the old religion, or was he simply documenting a historical event? To answer these questions, we can look at other images and texts from the period, which could provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between religion and society in 18th-century Netherlands.