Interieur van de Zuiderkerk te Amsterdam, gezien richting de Nieuwe Hoogstraat 1685 - 1737

Pieter van den Berge made this print of the interior of the Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam. Completed in 1611, the Zuiderkerk was the first church built in Amsterdam specifically for Protestant worship. Van den Berge’s image shows a commodious, columned interior filled with light from tall windows, an expression of the austere aesthetic of Dutch Calvinism. Yet the print also emphasizes the church as a social space. Small groups of congregants are depicted conversing in the foreground, while others are present in the side aisles. Considered from a social and institutional perspective, the print offers insight into the function of the church as a community hub in a rapidly growing city. Amsterdam in this period was a major center of global trade and a haven for religious refugees, and this image of a bustling, modern church suggests the ways that sacred spaces can serve as focal points for cultural and economic exchange. To understand the print more deeply, one might consult period maps, city directories, and congregational records, all resources that illuminate the social history of this iconic Amsterdam church.