Back to Ancient Rome

The remarkable thing about this tower is that, unlike most churches, it is not directly connected to the church building. For its construction in 1919, architect Jan Stuyt designed it based on a church in Rome: the seventh-century Basilica of Sant’Agnese fuori le mura (Saint Agnes Outside the Walls). He chose this church because they share the same name, but above all because of its early architectural style. Churches from this period resembled converted Roman market halls, known as basilicas, which were rectangular in shape and had small windows. These features can also be seen in Amsterdam’s Saint Agnes Church.

Stuyt lived at a time when church architecture was undergoing extensive experimentation. As a co-founder of the Amsterdam art circle De Violier, he sought to offer a new perspective on Catholic art and architecture.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, Catholic churches were springing up throughout the Netherlands as Catholic emancipation gained momentum. During this revival, it was fashionable to look back to the architectural style of the Middle Ages, the Gothic style, as it was considered the best expression of Catholic identity. Jan Stuyt’s counter-movement, however, looks back to an even more distant past: the churches that were built in the first centuries after Christ. The Church of Saint Agnes is one of the most important examples of this artistic movement in Amsterdam.

Instead of the bright colors and richly decorated façades of Neo-Gothic churches, the Church of Saint Agnes features clean, stylised forms and a restrained color palette. The bell tower, which was not completed until 1932, has a simple appearance and fits perfectly with the idea the architect had in mind: beauty in simplicity.