Ons Lieve Heer op Solder

It is a vast irony that the «Our Lord in the Attic» museum is difficult to find because it was a secret church back in the 1660s, meaning that the whole point of the the top three floors of this canal house was so that Catholics could secretly practice their faith during the Dutch Reformation (as the Protestant Reformation was sweeping Europe at the time) as they were unable to do so publicly. Even if you are not a particularly religious person, the structure itself was interesting, if just to see what a canal house was like (steep steps) and all, during the 17^th century. The most fun I had there was wearing booties when we entered the actual church part of the house, as they had recently finished the floors. Admission is free with the IAmesterdam card, an audioguide gives a handy dandy breakdown the history of the place and if you want to spend an hour here to see what a different part of the Red Light District looks like, this is your place.

Ons Lieve Heer op Solder (Our Lord in the Attic) is a small but fascinating museum located near the Red Light District in Amsterdam. Currently the museum is going through a restoration process, but this doesn’t hamper the experience. There are audio guides available at the museum that provide information in various parts about the history of the house, family, and the Catholic Church.
The main part to see in the house is the Catholic Church that was built on the top 3 floors of the canal house. The Church was hidden from the public due to Catholics not being able to worship publically due to Dutch laws. Besides the Church, the rest of the museum is the former canal house that shows you what it was like to live in the 1600s in Amsterdam.
Remember to save your ticket receipt because this can give you a combideal for 3 euros off at a couple other unique museums in Amsterdam: Amsterdam Museum, Cromhouthuizen — Bijbels Museum, Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis or Museum Willet-​Holthuysen. I wasn’t aware of this at the time and wish I would have known.

Very neat peace of catholic history, cool to see how much was hidden in such a small space. Worth your time. Get a museum pass though.

Certainly my favorite church in Amsterdam and one of my all time favorites — if simply for the element of surprise. Built when it was illegal to publicly worship as Catholics, this «hidden church» is a testament to people’s beliefs. It’s lovely, even by «hidden» standards — and well worth a visit. Give yourself at least an hour for a bare-​bones visit, two if you want to take your time. There is going to be a new visitor center there soon that you will really enjoy and will enhance the learning experience even more. The various guides are also really helpful. Talk to them; they’re bored and would love to chat with you :-)

I’m not one that’s typically very keen on museums or anything, but I have to say, I really liked this one. After I visited Begijnhof and learned about hidden churches, I realized that they were really cool and decided to check out Our Lord in the Attic.
I had a bit of trouble finding it because I walked right past it. They’re currently in a construction process trying to build a connecting building between the main church and the one across it. Having learned about the difficulties of construction in Amsterdam, it’s kind of cool to see the swamp below and what kind of land constructors in the area have to work with.
They have a student discount and even though I couldn’t find my student card at first, they guy was nice enough to let me in anyways. Score. Anyways they have the audio devices that you point at various lights that then play and tell you about the room or place that you’re in. It really is a hidden church. From the outside, you would just expect to see another typical Dutch home, but the inside is huge. They show you the living room and bedrooms and obviously the main feature is the church. Lots of information – took me about an hour to get through everything. Good knowledge and they’ve done a superb job with the refurbishing and renovations.
tldr; absolutely worth seeing if you’re in Amsterdam and interested in learning more about the hidden churches

If you’re a tourist, it’s probably best to map your way to the church ahead of time, as it can be a bit of a challenge to find. That being said, you’ll find yourself wandering through the red light district, so it’s not exactly a boring walk.
Once you’ve found the place, you’re in for a treat. Head in, pay your fee (or flash your Museumkaart), pick up your audio guide, and head upstairs. The church was built in one of the beautiful old canal houses, so you will have some steep stairs to climb.
The chapel itself was redone in the past couple years, and has been repainted to match the purple (mauve) hue it apparently was originally. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of the color, but hey — it’s historic. The chapel is, of course, small, so you shouldn’t need to budget more than an hour for your visit — but do add this to your list. It’s a wonderful place, and it’s interesting to learn a bit more about the Catholic plight in Amsterdam during the 1600s.
I don’t usually spend much time or money in gift shops, but this one had a few great little things. Some beautiful post cards and a fantastic journal — both were very reasonably priced. Staff were helpful — so tear yourself away from the Rijksmuseum (or the coffeeshops) for an afternoon and spend some time in the chapel!

I’m not a fan of museums per se, i’m bored to death in usually 7 minutes, but i love the idea of them and educating the people. But when i read about this place, i knew i had to visit. A hidden church, in an ATTIC! Heck yeas!
We made our way right after lunch on a Monday, it has a cute hidden door and a verify friendly docent to check you in an take your tickets! (make sure find a deal through something online, the holland card, the i am amsterdam card… something…)
They ask your language and give you the appropriate listening device for your trip.
The first listening area was cute, and as long as you aren’t on top of the group in front of you, you can look around a bit and see things while the fella talks. (FYI — in the english version, it’s kinda hard to tell when he is done talking… he takes big breathing breaks!)
From there the option is to follow the sign to the right, that is a neat room but also a dead end. Return to where you started and go left, again a dead end. Return to where you started and go up the stairs!
There are many places to listen, see and learn! I loved it and took a ton of pictures!
Be aware, when you are done with the church part, you return to the mary in the back area, and go down the stairs for more. We lost half our group when they were waiting for us in the church.
The gift shop is small but cute. Check everything out — it’s worth the ticket price!
The museum is currently going under some resoration so it can be loud depending on what parts are being worked on right now.

This museum makes my top five list of places visited in Amsterdam. It is a very interesting museum and is definitely worth visiting even though it is currently being renovated. They have done a very good job to ensure the visitor still has a great experience while they update and enlarge the museum. You can easily see this museum and the De Oude Kerk around the corner at the same time. Both are in the red light district of Amsterdam, which just happens to be the historic area. This museum not only allows you to view the inside of a typical canal house, but also gives you a taste of history during the protestant reformation when Catholicism was illegal. The owner of this house built a secret catholic church in the attic. A very pink one to be exact! I don’t usually take an audio guide, but for some reason I did here, and it is the first time I have actually listened 100% to the entire audio guide. This museum made a very interesting audio guide that is easy to listen and follow as you walk through the house. The experience would not be the same without the guide. The guide here is a must. The museum would not be that interesting without it.

A suprising museum hidden in a house on the canals in the middle of the red light district. It is lovely although due to renovations work not every room is open. I’ll be back when it is ready.

As a Catholic, I wanted to check out this hidden church where Catholics were forced to discreetly worship hundreds of years ago.
Entrance fee was 6 euros each, although my guidebook said 7. The main church area and altar are undergoing a major renovation — — maybe that’s why it was less?
But it was pretty interesting to visit, and right next to the Red Light district. Like a typical Dutch canal home, you walk up several small and twisty staircases. All the while, you are looking at various artifacts or objects from the history of this «Our Lord in the Attic» church.