High above the Nieuwmarkt a magnificent cathedral was almost built. This was the planned Kathedraal van de Heilige Maagd Maria in Amsterdam. Imagine its grandeur.
The year is 1827. The Concordat between King William I and Pope Leo XII had just been signed. This restored the Catholic hierarchy in the Netherlands. A new bishopric was established in Amsterdam. A grand cathedral was needed a fitting symbol of this religious revival.
Amsterdam’s city architect Jan de Greef was tasked with finding a suitable building. The existing St Catharinakerk was deemed too small. A new cathedral was necessary a majestic structure worthy of Amsterdam. De Greef’s designs were inspired by medieval cathedrals. He envisioned a neoclassical masterpiece a grand basilica with three naves. The design would feature a striking facade with two towers and a central portico. The towers would have a unique crowning element: a cross-shaped roof between four triangular frontons. A large semi-circular window a thermenvenster would dominate the portico and be repeated in the side chapels. This innovative design drew inspiration from the Trinità dei Monti in Rome. The architect had visited Rome earlier.
The planned location was the Nieuwmarkt. The Waag a historic building would have had to be demolished to make way for the cathedral. De Greef even designed a bishop’s palace on Herengracht and a seminary at the Oudemannenhuis. Other sites including the Trippenhuis the Maagdenhuis and the Oranje Nassau Kazerne were initially considered. Even the Oude Lutherse Kerk was a contender. The scale of the undertaking was ambitious.
Tragically the Belgian Revolution of 1830 ended the project abruptly. The political climate changed. The ambitious plans for the Kathedraal van de Heilige Maagd Maria were shelved. The designs were relegated to the archives. The dream of a magnificent cathedral on the Nieuwmarkt remained unrealized.
However the story doesn’t end there. De Greef’s work did live on. The designs influenced subsequent church constructions. His plans influenced the design of the Mozes en Aäronkerk a beautiful church built later in Amsterdam. The Mozes en Aäronkerk bears a resemblance to the intended cathedral. It incorporates similar neoclassical elements. The twin towers and portico are echoes of De Greef’s vision. Though not the grand cathedral originally planned it stands as a testament to the architect’s vision. It reminds us of the nearly built Kathedraal van de Heilige Maagd Maria on the Nieuwmarkt. A grand cathedral that almost rose high above the canals. A cathedral that only exists in architectural drawings and in our imagination.