Hendrick de Keyser (1565-1621) was the architect of Westerkerk. Commissioned by the Amsterdam City Council, the church was built between 1620 and 1631.
Westerkerk was not the first Protestant church built in Amsterdam, but it was the first biggest in the world for sure. Noorderkerk and Zuiderkerk were built for the Protestant service ealier, whereas Nieuwe Kerk and Oude Kerk were meant for the Roman Catholic mass.Westerkerk was built in the Dutch Renaissance style and in the form of a patriarchal cross. The monument has a rectangular shape, is 48 metres long, 28 metres wide and 27.5 metres high to the wooden barrel vaulting in the nave. Eye-catching is the bright, undimmed sunlight pouring in from every angle via the 36 large windows (the light is not obstructed by any adjacent buildings). This 'light effect' is further enforced by the whitewashed inner walls.
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