Lokhorstkerk Leiden, Netherlands

Overview

The Lokhorstkerk (Lokhorst Church) is a modest building with a classical facade in Leiden. A "clandestine" church, it was built by Mennonites in the 17th century.

History

Leiden's Mennonite community built the Lokhorstkerk in 1613-38 behind existing houses and expanded it in 1648. The houses that formed its facade were replaced in 1860 by the present entrance.

Today, the Mennonites share the church with Remonstrants, a denomination organized in 1619 by the followers of Jacobus Arminius (best known for rejecting John Calvin's doctrine of predestination) after they were forced out of the Dutch Reformed Church.

Description

The church is located just down the street from the Pieterskerk. It has a simple Dutch facade with a wheel window in its gable. The interior features a centralized seating area and a fine organ, the Johannes Mitterreither organ, which dates from 1774. Regular concerts are held in the church.