Evangelisch Lutherse kerk

The Evangelisch Lutherse kerk is a historic church building located at Hooglandse Kerkgracht 26 in Leiden, Netherlands. Constructed in 1618, it holds the distinction of being the oldest church building in Leiden erected specifically for Protestant worship. The structure originated as a hidden church, or schuilkerk, built behind street houses because non-Calvinist denominations were forbidden from building churches on the street during the Dutch Republic. The building is a recognized rijksmonument and reflects the early history of Lutheranism in Leiden, shaped by migration and the religious constraints of the era.

A Lutheran community existed in Leiden from 1588, initially gathering on the Groenhazengracht and later in the Jeruzalemshof. As the congregation grew, largely due to an influx of migrants from Germany and Scandinavia drawn to the university and the cloth industry, the pastor Gesuinus Mulhemius traveled to German cities in 1617 to collect funds. This money allowed the community to purchase a crowded courtyard known as the Wespennest on the Hooglandse Kerkgracht, where they built the hidden church in 1618. The congregation faced immediate hostility from neighbors, including a complaint to the States General in 1619 and disruptive drumming during services, prompting the church to purchase surrounding houses, eventually owning 19 adjacent properties. The building expanded with a western gallery in 1640 and an eastern gallery with seating in 1660. In 1719, deacons established the Evangelisch-Luthers Weeshuis behind the church, connected by a door. The nineteenth century brought major renovations, aided by a donation from Queen Sophie of Wurtemberg, which saw the front houses demolished and a consistory added. In 1888, architect Hendrik Jesse built a new front facade with three windows and a small tower, though the tower was removed shortly before World War II due to structural instability. The building was officially listed as a rijksmonument in 1989.

The interior of the church is characterized by its austere yet light design, incorporating specific Lutheran symbolism such as the swan and the rainbow in its stained glass and lectern. The church also maintained a significant administrative record, including a special book kept between 1613 and 1763 in which new Lutheran students in Leiden inscribed their names and financial pledges, and which recorded visits by Lutheran princes and a descendant of Martin Luther. This book is now part of the Special Collections of the Leiden University Library. Following the closure of the church in 2018, a portion of the historically valuable interior and inventory was relocated to the Luther Museum in the Wittenberg building in Amsterdam.

Notable interior features include a baptismal screen dating to 1640, crafted by the Lutheran artisan Gerrit Goosman. Above the entrance in the balustrade of the western gallery are nine panel paintings from 1640 by Joris van Schooten, depicting biblical scenes from Adam and Eve to the Last Judgment and an Angel Concert. In 1661, Barent Fabritius painted three Bible stories on canvas for the eastern side, illustrating the Prodigal Son, the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus, and the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. These Fabritius paintings were sold in the nineteenth century. The church also retains the wind vane that originally crowned the tower removed before World War II.

Designed as a schuilkerk, the original 1618 building was a simple structure hidden behind a row of houses on the Hooglandse Kerkgracht, accessed only through a hardstone gate on the street side. The interior was organized with separate seating for men and women during the early modern period. The 1888 renovation by Hendrik Jesse fundamentally altered the relationship of the building to the street by demolishing the front houses and constructing a new facade with three windows and a consistory, making the church visually prominent for the first time. The small tower added to this facade was later dismantled due to poor condition, and its wind vane was preserved inside the church.

The Evangelisch Lutherse congregation used the building for services from 1618 until 2018, when the congregation bid farewell to the church and the building closed. An Amsterdam investment group purchased the rijksmonument in 2019 and announced plans to redevelop it for leisure and office use, though these plans have not yet been realized. Since 2022, the building has been used by ICF Leiden, an autonomous church, for weekly services. ICF Leiden holds a morning service at 11:00 and a Sunday Night celebration at 19:00 aimed at a younger demographic between 16 and 35 years old.