Schuilkerk De Hoop
Close to the Amsterdam ring road, just outside the district of Watergraafsmeer, is an attractive church which survives as if by a miracle: Schuilkerk De Hoop (‘Clandestine Church The Hope’). Behind the simple facade of this only remaining rural clandestine church in the Amsterdam area, there is a rich and light interior.
Venue hire
Business and culture
Schuilkerk De Hoop can be hired for dinners, receptions, presentations, memorial services, workshops, performances and concerts. It’s an official wedding venue in the Municipality of Diemen.
The church is also a popular location for music and film recordings, and the Friends of De Hoop have been holding a series of chamber music concerts here since 1999.
Facilities
Polished and professional
The building is equipped with all modern conveniences, from heating to bathroom and catering facilities. The acoustics are ideal for chamber music. There is a grand piano and a small stage. The 60 m² balcony can be used for concert seating or as a reception area for drinks before a dinner. There is an office that can function as a dressing room. Behind the church is a terrace/courtyard, which makes an excellent ‘break-out room’ in fine weather.
Contact the Stadsherstel team for inspiration and information about the possibilities of this unusual venue.
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The building
Hidden beauty
Although it was permitted to build Catholic churches in 1786-1787, freedoms for Catholics were limited in this period. The church could not be recognisable as such from the outside, the door had to be smooth, the windows had to be of regular size and the roofing had to be the usual standard tiles. This meant that De Hoop had to be a fairly simple building on the outside, but inside it is quite evidently arranged as a church and the interior is richly decorated.
Restoring the city
Choose heritage
Schuilkerk De Hoop transferred its function as a church in 1910 to the newly built Sint-Petrus’-Bandenkerk, which was built next to the presbytery. This monument then went on to serve as a clubhouse, a storage space and an organ school.
In 1990, Schuilkerk De Hoop was largely destroyed by fire and was threatened with demolition. The Monument Schuilkerk De Hoop Foundation was established to rescue the building from destruction, and succeeded in having it listed as national heritage. Thanks to public campaigns, donations from the business community and heritage subsidies, the financial basis for the rescue was laid. Finally, Stadsherstel was able to renovate the building in 1997, restoring its original appearance and installing advanced sound insulation in the walls, ceiling, windows and doors.
By choosing Schuilkerk De Hoop, you contribute to the maintenance of this historic monument and to the conservation of heritage in the Amsterdam area.
Because I was able to reflect on my everyday work beyond the walls of my office, in this wonderful church that I didn’t know existed, I gained new insights.
The architecture of the Schuilkerk De Hoop, completed in 1787 – during Mozart’s lifetime – offered a virtually ideal setting for this wonderful concert.