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All the Netherlands Amsterdam Begijnhof Chapel

Begijnhof Chapel

A hidden church in a hidden courtyard tells the story of the Miracle of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

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Entrance to the hidden chapel.   C messier
Inside the chapel.   Ernest McGray, Jr.
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Another depiction of the Miracle.   Dapper Dan 9 / Atlas Obscura User
Another depiction of the Miracle.   Dapper Dan 9 / Atlas Obscura User
  Dapper Dan 9 / Atlas Obscura User
Depiction of the Miracle (top row) and other historic scenes.   Dapper Dan 9 / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance to the chapel.   Dapper Dan 9 / Atlas Obscura User
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Begijnhof   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
A view of the surrounding Begijnhof courtyard.   Massimo Catarinella
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A hidden church in a hidden courtyard tells the story of the Miracle of Amsterdam—a miracle that began with a vomiting man.

One of Amsterdam's oldest inner courtyards, the Begijnhof, is just off the Spui Book Square with its many cafes and bookshops. The Beguines were a lay female Catholic order that sought to imitate Christ: living in poverty and devotion, and for the care of others. And hidden in their hidden courtyard where they lived was a hidden church, the Begijn Chapel.

This church once contained the holy relic of the Miracle of Amsterdam: namely a puked up host. As the story goes, in 1345, a dying man took his last communion but then vomited up the body of Christ, which the maid then disposed of in the fireplace. The next morning, the cracker was allegedly found in pristine condition in the ashes. Word spread and pilgrims started to come from afar, jumpstarting the local economy. This marked the first step towards Amsterdam actually becoming a global city. The full story is told in a series of oil paintings in the chapel. To this day, the miracle is commemorated each year with a “Silent Procession” through the city. It gets particularly surreal when the silent mass of people clutching their candles passes through the Red Light District.

Today, the courtyard’s residents are no longer nuns but do remain strictly female.

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Churches Miracles Hidden Sacred Spaces

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Upon exiting the chapel, don’t trip over the grave of a former resident nun hidden under a slab of red granite in the gutter. Clue: it’s often adorned with flowers.

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Jaszmina Szendrey, sommermathis, seanjobst, gmburrows...

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Published

June 20, 2018

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Begijnhof Chapel
Begijnhof 29
Amsterdam
Netherlands
52.369359, 4.889617
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