Netherlands(Dutch. Nederland [ˈneːdərlɑnt], Dutch pronunciation) is a state consisting of the Western European part and the islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in the Caribbean Sea (also called the Caribbean Netherlands). In Western Europe, the territory is washed by the North Sea (the length of the coastline is 451 km) and borders on Germany (577 km) and Belgium (450 km). Together with the islands of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten, which have a special status (self-governing state entity), the Netherlands is part of Kingdom of the Netherlands(Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden).

Largest cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Rotterdam
  • Hague

Orthodoxy in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is not a traditionally Orthodox region of Europe, since after 1054 Christians remained under Catholic influence.

In the Netherlands there are over 30 parishes and monasteries of the Constantinople (including the Exarchate of the Russian tradition), Moscow (including the ROCOR), Serbian, Romanian and Bulgarian Patriarchates.

Story

According to legend, already in the 1st century a number of bishoprics were created in northern Europe, and the name of Saint Servatius (IV century) is mentioned in the history of Holland. But along with the departure of the Romans, Christianity disappeared from those lands in the 5th century.

Only in the 7th century, under the Merovingians, Christianity again began to spread among the pagan Frisians, but until the educational activities of Saint Willibrord, the country remained almost pagan.

By the beginning of the 9th century, Holland was completely Christianized, and the See of Utrecht during the same period rose to the status of the leading one in the country.

After 1054 the Netherlands remained under Catholic influence

The first Orthodox parish of St. Catherine of Alexandria after many centuries was created between 1733 and 1736 by Greek merchants in a private building in Amsterdam. Served by Greek clergy. There were also Russians among the parishioners. Around 1760, parts of St. John Chrysostom's Orthodox liturgy were translated from Greek into Dutch for scholars visiting St. Catherine's Church in Amsterdam. The translation has not survived. Since 1852, Catherine's parish came under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate.

At the beginning of the 19th century in The Hague, through the efforts of the future Queen of the Netherlands, Anna Pavlovna, a house church was created in honor of St. Mary Magdalene. At the beginning of the 20th century, the church was moved to another location, where it is still located.

In 1936, Hieromonk Dionysius (Lukin), whose name is associated with the creation of the Orthodox mission in the Netherlands, was transferred to The Hague.

In 1938, the first two Dutchmen entered the Russian Orthodox parish, and in 1940, through the labors of Father Dionysius, two Benedictine monks joined the Orthodox Church - Jacob Akkersdijk and Adrian Koporal.

In 1945, the Orthodox diaspora in the Netherlands became a victim of jurisdictional conflicts. Father Dionysius, remaining faithful to the Mother Church, together with Metropolitan Eulogius (Georgievsky) returned to the fold of the Russian Orthodox Church, but Jacob and Adrian transferred to the jurisdiction of the Russian Church Abroad, founding a Dutch-speaking parish in The Hague in honor of St. John the Baptist. Finally, a small group of believers remained under the jurisdiction of the Western European Russian Exarchate, subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

After the Second World War, many people who were forcibly transported to the West remained to live there, including in Holland. Representatives of the second wave of Russian emigration settled mainly in Rotterdam, where they soon formed an Orthodox community.

In 1947, Hieromonk Dionysius headed the stauropegial Orthodox mission, which was later transformed into a deanery.

In 1952, a small parish of monks Jacob and Adrian was visited by Archbishop John (Maksimovich), who, being an ardent advocate of the restoration of national Orthodox Churches in Europe, Bishop John approved of the activities of the Orthodox Dutch missionaries. In 1954, this community entered the diocese of Archbishop John, who at the same time ordained Father Jacob as a hieromonk and appointed him a priest in the parish of John the Baptist, which was converted into a convent. It was based on Benedictine nuns who converted to Orthodoxy. This monastery has set itself the task of witnessing to Orthodoxy among the local population.

With the transfer of John (Maximovich) to the USA, the Dutch parishes were actually left without archpastoral care, and therefore Archimandrite Jacob (Akkersdijk) was consecrated Bishop of The Hague and the Netherlands on September 19, 1965.

In 1966, the Synod of the Moscow Patriarchate decided to establish a see in Holland and appoint Father Dionysius as bishop there. On March 20, 1966, Archimandrite Dionysius was consecrated Bishop of Rotterdam, Vicar of the Belgian Diocese.

After the death of Archbishop John, Bishop Jacob and his flock lost the support and protection that the saint provided to the Dutch diocese. The Synod of the ROCOR was not interested in the development of national Churches and, thus, the Dutch diocese of the Russian Church Abroad actually found itself in isolation.

On August 18, 1972, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to accept Bishop Jacob in his existing rank with the clergy and flock and establish the diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate in Holland with the appointment of the same bishop to the position of ruling bishop. The Rotterdam vicariate was abolished, Bishop Dionysius retired, but until his death in 1976 he remained rector of the parish in Rotterdam.

On June 20, 2004, the consecration of the Russian Orthodox Church in the name of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky took place in Rotterdam. Previously, none of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate had a standard church building.

On November 6, 2013, at the Church of St. Nicholas in Amsterdam, the official presentation of a new translation of the Liturgy into Dutch, published in two formats - for clergy and for laity, took place.

Current state

Patriarchate of Constantinople

As of 2005, the Patriarchate of Constantinople had the largest number of parishes in Holland - 12. Six of them were part of the Belgian Metropolis, another 6 were part of the Western European Exarchate of Russian Churches. The Patriarch of Constantinople owned the only Flemish-speaking parish in Collumerpompe, as well as 2 monasteries.

Russian Orthodox Church

After the retirement of Archbishop Jacob, the See of The Hague continues to remain dowager. The temporary duties of the administrator of the Dutch diocese are performed by Bishop Simon (Ishunin) of Brussels and Belgium.

Currently, the Hague and Netherlands diocese has 7 parishes and 2 monasteries. There is also one parish of the Russian Church Abroad.

Serbian Orthodox Church

There are 6 parishes of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the country, which are part of the Western European Diocese. Serbian parishes began to appear in the Netherlands starting in the 1980s. Their parishioners were mainly emigrants from the Balkans.

Romanian Orthodox Church

There are 7 parishes of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the Netherlands.

Other Orthodox churches

There is also one parish of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in the country.

The Saints

  • St. St. Wilfrid of York
  • St. St. Gregory of Utrecht
  • St. St. Willibrord, "Apostle of the Netherlands"

Shrines

The relics of ancient Christian saints in the Netherlands are located in Catholic churches.

MAASTRICHT. Cathedral of St. Servat. Relics.

Greetings, my dears! I continue to introduce my readers to the way of life of people in the Netherlands. There will be more material about various Russian “cadres” ahead, but now I would like to talk about the spiritual component of life in Amsterdam - about the Russian Orthodox Church.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to attend a Sunday service at the largest Orthodox church in Holland - St. Nicholas parish of the Moscow Patriarchate ( link to parish website), located at: Lijnbaansgracht 47-48, 1015 GR Amsterdam (link to google maps), which is what this post will mainly be about.

Since yesterday was the second Sunday of the month, I attended a liturgy that was held in Dutch - in the church there is a rule of alternating languages ​​(Church Slavonic and Dutch) in which services are held, with the exception of great holidays, when services are held in both languages . It was unusual, but the syllable sounded quite coherent.

Also, mostly by the way, it was also unusual that the Orthodox parish was located in the building of a former Catholic church, which recently turned one hundred years old. It turns out that originally there was a monastery church of the Order of the Friars Minor Capuchin, consecrated in honor of St. Anthony of Padua. The people called this church Tihelkerk or simply Tihel. In 2004, the Franciscans lost the opportunity to maintain this building and the church two years later passed to the Russian Orthodox Church.


In general, St. Nicholas parish has existed since 1974. The founder is considered to be a small group of Orthodox believers who decided to dedicate the parish to St. Nicholas, who, by the way, is also the patron saint of Amsterdam. Now there are about two hundred and twenty regular parishioners of different nationalities.

It operates an Orthodox information center and a library with more than five thousand books. There is also a Sunday school for children from 4 to 13 years old. Classes in Dutch are held in three groups according to age. In addition, there are courses in icon painting, and for lovers of Russian sacred music, the “Oktoich” choir has been created. On the initiative of the parish, a Russian school (secular in nature) was opened in Amsterdam, which has existed for 12 years and has approximately 100 students of different ages from 3 to 16 years.

If we talk about the whole of Holland, then today in the country of tulips there are three Orthodox monasteries and 27 Orthodox parishes of different Churches: Russian (MP and ROCOR), Bulgarian, Constantinople, Serbian and Romanian. The beginning of the widespread spread of Orthodoxy in Holland dates back to the pre-war 1940, when two Catholic monks, Jacob Akkersdijk and Adrian Korporal, were accepted into the Orthodox Church. Later they founded an Orthodox parish and monastery in the name of St. John the Baptist in The Hague.

There are three active monasteries in the Netherlands: the Asten convent in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, founded in 1989; men's monastery (since 1999) in Hemelum (Himmelum) of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Myra; and the aforementioned monastery in The Hague. The latter was founded first as a male one in the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, and since 1974 it has functioned as a female one in the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church. In August 1972, when Jacob (Ackersdijk), Bishop of The Hague, Vicar of the Western European Diocese of the ROCOR, came under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Hague and Netherlands Diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate was established, which is now governed by the Archbishop of Brussels and Belgium Simon (Ishunin).


The building of the Catholic Church "Tichelkerk", where the Orthodox parish of St. Nicholas has been located for seven years now. View from the back.


Sign on the door. Pay attention to the unique font of the lower inscription (in Dutch) “in Slavic script”..


Entrance to the baptismal chapel of an Orthodox parish in Amsterdam.


Church tower. The top is still in the form of a clearly non-Orthodox cross.


The façade of the Tihelkerk complex.


In front of the entrance to the territory of the Orthodox parish there is a corresponding sign, notice board and icons.


Street Leinbaansgraacht . The view opposite is a canal with houseboats, houses on the water, lanterns and bikes..


Courtyard of St. Nicholas Parish. Bright greenery, a bench for rest and again the ubiquitous bicycles...


Tambour in front of the entrance to the temple premises.


There is also a belfry here, the sounds of the bells of which are already well known to residents of the local Jordan district.


The service hall is quite spacious (and not as dark as the building itself from the outside..) and can accommodate almost all the local parishioners.


This is how it should look after the final renovation, judging by the picture next to the announcement about collecting donations for the needs of the temple. In my opinion, all that remains is to paint the ceiling vaults and repaint the columns...

And these are two pictures of the church (from website for the 100th anniversary of the temple) during service - several years ago and a century ago..


Icons hang along the walls.


And above them are the most beautiful stained glass windows.


Lighting for the room is also available in appropriate design.


I was surprised and inspired by the fact that not only many Orthodox Christians came to the service, but also their national diversity - there were even representatives of African nationalities!


The liturgy is conducted by priest Hildo Bos and archpriest Sergei Ovsyannikov.


And this is the parish choir, which has been headed by regent Alena Ovsyannikova since 1990. Since 1996, she has been performing with the chamber choir “Oktoich”, which she founded. I listened - they sing simply flawlessly!!

By the way, I received the blessing of the local parish priest for filming Hildo Bosa, who asked only not to take photographs of the sacrament of communion.

Father Hildo, like his colleagues, have a rather interesting biography: in 1994 graduated from the Department of Slavic Studies at the University of Amsterdam. During his visits to Russia he became interested in Orthodoxy, in 1991 he was received into the Orthodox Church through confirmation and became a member of the parish. In 1995 he entered the Orthodox Theological Institute, Rev. Sergius in Paris, from which he graduated in 1999.From 1995 to 2003 he held various positions in the World Brotherhood of Orthodox Youth, SINDESMOS, from 2000 to 2003 - the position of acting. President. From 1999 to 2003 he also participated in the work of the World Council of Churches as chairman of the advisory commission on youth affairs.



...The Orthodox cross in the sky of Amsterdam actually appeared in the second half of the 17th century. Even then, the Greek-Russian Orthodox Church existed in the city, and services were held in the small chapel of St. Catherine. At the services one could see Russian diplomats and members of their families, as well as Russian and Greek sailors and traders.

In the 19th century, after the marriage of King William II with the Russian princess Anna Pavlovna, an Orthodox chapel appeared at the royal residence in The Hague, which in Holland was called the “Russian Church”. There is information that this chapel was a source of inspiration and the place where the Dutch became acquainted with the Orthodox tradition of the Russian people.

I noted that fabulous Amsterdam offers entertainment for every taste: from the unbanal to the very piquant, and for connoisseurs of architecture and history there are numerous museums, historical sights and, of course, churches and cathedrals.

As we learned from the Internet, most churches in Amsterdam are Protestant and ancient, and this is due to the fact that during the Reformation, Protestantism gained the maximum number of supporters in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. By the way, in addition to the high number of Protestants in recent centuries, there are more than 40% of the total mass of agnostics (atheists), who influenced tolerance and freedom of morals (after all, they do not believe in the Lord and do not adhere to the commandments), and glorified the Kingdom as one of the most free-thinking countries due to their loyal attitude towards same-sex marriage, drug use, etc. Amsterdam has both a classic Catholic cathedral - a basilica, and an Orthodox parish. I will tell you in more detail about each of these architectural and historical monuments, and also provide up-to-date information about the possibility of free admission and ongoing events.

Church of St. Nicholas (Sint Nicolaaskerk)

The Secret Church in the Attic (Ons lieve heer op solder)

One of the most popular tourist attractions in my opinion is the Secret Church. It is located in the heart of the Red Light District and it seems to be one of the most unusual churches that I have seen in my life. It is called the Church of Our Beloved Lord in the Attic (address: Oudezijds Voorburgwal 38) and is also located in the middle of the Red Light District.

How did this church come about? Due to the persecution of Catholics during the Reformation in the 17th century, the Secret Church was literally hidden in a three-story residential building thanks to the efforts of a savvy merchant.

Now it is both a church and a museum. We were able to examine in detail the architecture of the building from the inside, the interior, as well as the life of the Dutch in the 16th century.

The museum has an audio guide (available in Russian, free of charge), and at the entrance they give out a pair of special slippers that will protect the rare floor from wear and tear by visitors’ feet. On Sunday there is a service and the church opens at 13.00, be careful! There is a separate entrance for parishioners. A visit to the museum-church will cost 10 EUR.

How to save money on visiting temples and cathedrals?

There are few profitable ways to visit churches with paid entrance, but they exist. Of course, I do not take into account personal acquaintance, because we take as a basis that you are a guest and a tourist in the city, like me. At the moment, I have opened and tested these two:


***

I remember how on that sunny September morning I desperately wanted to go to church and repent of all my sins! But I didn’t know where exactly to go, and you have a unique opportunity to take advantage of my review and experience and choose in advance both a tourist attraction and a place for confession. In a city of sailors and revelers, where an atmosphere of general fun reigns, it is very important to find, if the soul so requires, a clean, unspoiled place, and the church will be such a place.

A prayer service for peace on Ukrainian land was served on February 15, after the Divine Liturgy, in the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra in Amsterdam.

St. Nicholas Parish of the Moscow Patriarchate is the representative office of the Russian Orthodox Church in Amsterdam and has about 250 people of more than 20 nationalities. The ruling bishop is Archbishop Simon of Brussels and Belgium.

"Unique place, unique people"

The rector of the parish is Archpriest Sergius Ovsyannikov, ordained a priest by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh in London in 1990.

Three priests and two deacons also serve in St. Nicholas Church. Archimandrite Meletius (Webber) speaks his native English, German, Greek, learned Dutch and is finishing his studies in Russian - the priest does a lot of cultural and educational work at the parish, gives English lessons.

Hieromonk Seraphim (Standhardt) studied Russian at school and during a school trip in 1984 to Moscow and St. Petersburg, he first came to the Orthodox Church. Now Father Seraphim studies at the Moscow Theological Academy in Sergiev Posad and works at the spiritual maritime mission of Groningen, where he spiritually cares for Russian sailors.

Priest Hildo Bos is a Dutchman who knows the Russian language very well and is a very talented, almost simultaneous translator, which in itself is rare in Dutch-Russian communications. Father Hildo became interested in Orthodoxy during his visits to Russia and in 1991 was received into the Orthodox Church through confirmation. Father graduated from the Department of Slavic Studies at the University of Amsterdam and the Orthodox Theological Institute, Rev. Sergius in Paris.

Archbishop of Brussels and Belgium Simon

“Our parish is a unique place, and our people are unique,” ​​says Olga Sobourg, a parishioner of the Church of St. Nicholas in Amsterdam. – And a piece of the Motherland – a “mole”, as one of my friends says.

"Where there is neither Greek nor Jew"

Archpriest Sergiy Ovsyannikov

As Olga said, in addition to the officially registered parishioners, a lot of new people have been coming to the church lately - Russians, Ukrainians living in Holland - students, workers and guests, incl. unofficial refugees from eastern Ukraine. The temple is multinational - in addition to ethnic Russians and Ukrainians, there are many Dutch among the parishioners, incl. Dutch Slavists speaking Russian. There are Georgians, Serbs, Romanians, Orthodox Lithuanians, as well as Ethiopians and Copts.

Divine services in the Church of St. Nicholas are conducted in two languages ​​- Church Slavonic and Dutch. The second and fourth Sundays of each month are in Dutch; on major holidays, services are held in two languages.

parish choir "Oktoich"

– At the temple there is a choir “Oktoich”, already widely known outside the Low Lands, for lovers of Orthodox chants, Dutch and Russian-speaking, under the direction of the chief regent of our temple, Mother Alena Ovsyannikova-Foogd, who for her twenty-five years of activity was even awarded the Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh, – says Olga Sobur. – Last Tuesday we hosted a group of 60 people, Dutch Catholics – their interest arose through Orthodox music. In March there will be a group of schoolchildren from four schools from Ermelo, a small town where only very, very strict Protestants live, but they are also interested. Their teacher has something to do with Orthodoxy.

“We pray for all Orthodox lands”

Archimandrite Meletius (Webber)

The St. Nicholas parish of the Russian Orthodox Church in Amsterdam is also known for its library - over 5,000 books about Orthodoxy and various cultures. There is an Orthodox Information Center, which we usually call a bookstore. Sunday school classes for children from 4 to 13 years old are held in Dutch, in three age groups.
As Olga said, all work in the temple is carried out on the basis of “freiwillich” - volunteerism. Even the priests only began to receive some financial support two years ago, although their contribution to the work of the parish is extremely significant.

Hieromonk Seraphim (Standhardt)

“At every Sunday liturgy, we pray for the suffering people in Ukraine, and also suppress all sorts of provocative political conversations in the church,” says Olga Sobur. – We pray for all Orthodox lands, and, of course, for Russia too, since our church is Russian. And on the temple’s website they ask for special prayers for everyone suffering from violence in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine.


priest Hildo Bos

Reference:

The first Orthodox church in Amsterdam was built in the 18th century. The current parish of the Church of St. Nicholas Myra of Lycia was founded in 1974. Over the past decades, it has grown from a small group of believers into a strong community whose members live in Amsterdam and far beyond its borders.

At first the Orthodox church was in the old chapel on Utrechtsestraat, but after 15 it became too small for the growing parish, and a new building was needed.
After much searching, the Immanuel Church building was purchased in 1995, but the parish continued to grow due to the arrival of new emigrants and the interest of the native Dutch. In 2006, the parish moved to a new building: the Tichelkerk temple in the Jordan area. This is an ancient building of a former Capuchin monastery, built 100 years ago and located in the historical district of Amsterdam.
Additional information about the St. Nicholas Church of the Russian Orthodox Church in Amsterdam -