Amsterdam - Moses and Aaron Church

(Local Name: Mozes-en-Aaronkerk) The history of this church goes back to the "Alteratie" when secret churches sprang up everywhere, since Catholics no longer dared to hold services in public. In 1641 Father Boelenzs purchased the Moses and Aaron House in Jodenbreestraat from a rich Jew and converted it into a church. In the course of time the church was enlarged, and it was consecrated in 1841, after its transformation into its present neo- Classical form by a Belgian architect. Today the Moses and Aaron Church is no longer a house of God but a youth club where yoga is taught, tea dispensed and sitar concerts given. There are still times, however, when foreign workers threatened with deportation come here in search of a secret refuge.