Amsterdam

Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Address:
Lijnbaansgracht 47-48,
1015 GR Amsterdam

tel.: +31-20-421-18-15
office[at]orthodox.nl

Geestelijkheid:

	Archpriest Sergi Ovsjannikov - rector tel.: +31 20 695 86 78 rector[at]orthodox.nl
	Priest-monk Serafim (Standhardt) s.standhardt[at]versatel.nl
	Priest Hildo Bos frhildo[at]orthodox.nl
	Deacon John Sewter johnsewter[at]gmail.com
	Deacon Michael Bakker michaelbakker[at]orthodox.nl

Worship:
Saturday: Vigil 17:30
Sunday: Divine Liturgy 10:00.
1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, the main language is Old Church Slavonic;
on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month, the main language is Dutch;
when there is a 5th Sunday the service is a balance of both languages.

Orthodox Information Center
Open on Sundays after the Liturgy

Library
There are more than 5000 books about Orthodoxy and related topics in the parish library. The library is open on Sundays after the service and further only by arrangement.

Sunday school
for 5-12 years old children: during the sermon and after the Liturgy. 1st and 3rd Sunday in Russian; 2nd and 4th Sunday in Dutch. Parents are requested to bring their children to the children's room.

A short history
The Orthodox presence in Amsterdam goes all the way back to the Golden Age – the 17th Century – when the Saint Catharine Chapel stood on the city's Oude Zijds Voorburgwal. Russian and Greek merchants and seamen attended services there. In 1697 Peter the Great worked for some months at the Amsterdam shipyard of the Dutch East India Company. It was at this yard, and not in Zaandam, that he is said to have learnt ship building. He attended church there as well.

The marriage of Anna Pavlovna (1795-1865), the sister of Tsar Alexander I, to the future King Willem II (1840-1849) in 1816 added another chapter to the history of the Orthodox Church in the Netherlands. Queen Anna Paulowna, as she was known by the Dutch, was well known for her charitable works. In The Hague, the royal residence, a Russian church was built for her. This church became the fountainhead for Orthodoxy in the Netherlands, especially in the 20th century.

The Russian Orthodox Church in Amsterdam, whose website you are now browsing, was founded in 1974. For the first few years, the young congregation was offered the use of a chapel in the Roman Catholic St. Nicholas Church near Central Station. Then the parish moved to a chapel on the Utrechtsedwarsstraat. In 1995 the decision was made to purchase the Immanuel Church on the Kerkstraat.

That first handful of people has grown into a strong parish, with some of its members living quite some distance from Amsterdam. About twenty nationalities are now represented in our membership. As a result of the fall of Communism and the emigration of many East Europeans to the West, the current building has become too small for the many people attending services on major church holidays. During the Easter service, many are forced to stand outside in the street. We are hoping in the near future to buy a larger church building.

Our church is under the protection of Saint Nicholas. This is because Saint Nicholas is one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Church. He is also the patron and protector of Amsterdam.

Our international parish is a very friendly place. You are always welcome. The divine services are held on Saturdays at 5.30 p.m. and on Sundays at 10.30 a.m., mainly in Church Slavonic the first and third Sundays of the month, mainly in Dutch the second and fourth Sundays. Everyone is invited to stay for coffee an d conversation after the Sunday service has ended.

In 2006 the parish moved to the current location, the Tichelkerk.