
This icon links the Orthodox Christian community in Amsterdam to the deep Christian roots of the Low Countries.
Location
Saint Nicholas of Myra Church
Lijnbaansgracht 47
Type
Church
Religious community
Ecumenical Patriarchate
Object
This icon depicts fifteen saints who lived in the Low Countries
Maker and date
Natalia Petrovna Ermakova
2010
Visit
On display in the church during opening hours
The Orthodox parish of St. Nicholas of Myra in Amsterdam commissioned this icon of the Saints of the Low Countries to honour the saints who played a crucial role in the early Christianisation of this region. The icon, created by Natalia Petrovna Ermakova in 2010, depicts fifteen saints, specifically Cunera, Servatius, Amandus, Lambertus, Bavo, Gertrudis, Dymphna, Oda, Willibrord, Werenfried, Adelbert, Bonifatius, Walburgis, Jeroen, and Radboud. These saints lived in the Low Countries across different centuries, from the 4th to the 10th.
The iconographer chose to depart from the traditional Byzantine style and instead depicted the saints in the simple garments typical of their time, reflecting the hardships they endured as missionaries and ascetics in early Western Europe. This approach required careful research, as it involved adopting a distinctly Western style with facial features based on old manuscript illustrations, rather than the idealized Greek forms typically used in Orthodox iconography. The Church of Saint Nicholas of Myra takes a central role in the composition, symbolizing the connection between the past and present of the Orthodox community in Amsterdam, with Christ and the Theotokos depicted above, blessing the scene.
Saint
A person who has lived an exceptionally holy or virtuous life and is believed to be in heaven.
Theotokos
Greek: ''God-Bearer''. Theotokos is a title of the Virgin Mary, referring to her as the Mother of God.
Icon
Eastern Christian religious image. Icons are usually depictions of Christ, Mary, saints and church feasts painted in tempera on wood. Icon veneration occupies an important place within the spirituality of the Christian East and effectively brings the believer into contact with the world of divinity.
The icon is characterized by warm, earthy tones, including ochre, deep greens, and rich reds. It also includes symbolic elements like a windmill and a sailing ship, reflecting the maritime culture and history of the Low Countries.
The bottom of the icon bears the inscription "Synaxis (Greek: gathering, collection) of the Saints of the Low Countries''. This emphasises the purpose of the icon, as a memorial of this community of early saints.
In this way, the icon serves not only as a work of religious art but also as a bridge between different Christian traditions, linking the modern Orthodox parish to the pre-schism Christian heritage of the Low Countries.
Great Schism (1054)
The greatest division in the history of the church is that of the 11th century, which is why it is called the Great Schism. In 1054, the undivided Church officially split into Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Eastern Orthodox) Christendom.
The church also holds a relic of St. Nicholas of Myra, the patron saint of the church and a very popular saint in both Eastern and Western Christianity. St. Nicholas is also the patron saint of Amsterdam. The presence of this relic once again emphasizes the close relationship between this Eastern Orthodox community and Amsterdam Christian traditions.
Matija Miličić
Researcher and Heritage Specialist Eastern and Oriental Christianity Museum Catharijneconvent
Thanks to
Hildo Bos
Archpriest of the St. Nicholas parish
Last edited
June 02, 2025
The Saints of the Low Countries, Natalia Petrovna Ermakova, 2010, tempera on panel. Collection Orthodoxe Parochie Heilige Nikolaas van Myra in Amsterdam.
Interior and exterior: photography Robert Westera
Iconostasis. Collection Orthodoxe Parochie Heilige Nikolaas van Myra in Amsterdam.
Reliek van de heilige Nicolaas. Collection Orthodoxe Parochie Heilige Nikolaas van Myra in Amsterdam.
Biervliet, A.T. van, Heiligen uit de Nederlanden (Tabor 1986).
Lieuwen, D., De vroege geschiedenis van het christendom in de Nederlanden. Orthodoxe Kerk Heilige Nikolaas van Myra, (2007).
Meulemeester, J.L., 'Over heiligen en de kerstening van westelijk Vlaanderen' in: Vlaanderen 44 (1995) 175-182.
Stephanou, E., 'De Orthodoxie te Amsterdam' in: Het Christelijk Oosten en Hereniging 2, no. 1 (1949) 117–121.