Secreted away in the midst of the city is this enclosed courtyard, ringed by a series of white-trimmed, brick dwellings. The peaceful enclave was, in former centuries, home to a community of religious women (although not nuns) who supported the church with their charitable endeavors. This cluster of buildings was their domain, the area from which they provided succor and devoted their lives from the 14th century until 1971, when the last of the order expired. The secluded area offers a wonderful opportunity to reflect, to pause, and to take in the area's history.

Also known as 'Ons' Lieve Heer op Solder,' or 'Our Lord in the Attic,' this fascinating sanctuary dates from a period when only the Dutch Reformed Church was permitted to hold public services. Practitioners of other religions were forced to gather secretly in privately owned buildings throughout the city. This 17th century merchant's home was a haven for Catholics of the era. Its attic was transformed into a church and came to feature a pipe organ and a beautiful baroque altar and details. The church, which still holds occasional services, is, curiously enough, now located in the Red Light District.

Equated with England's Westminster Abbey (since Dutch monarchs are inaugurated here), the Nieuwe Kerk had its foundations laid in the 14th century. Built as a Catholic sanctuary, it survived the nation's change to Protestantism, although it lost much of its original decoration. Even so, subsequent building efforts provided the church with beautiful ornamentation, including an amazing pulpit, intricate woodcarvings, stained glass windows, a detailed altar, and a venerable pipe organ.

JORDAAN. Designed by Hendrick de Keyser and constructed in the early 1620s, this church boasts a geometrical sensibility consistent with the era's humanist ideology. Its form is of a Greek cross, with four equidistant arms. The sanctuary, still used by the Protestant congregation, features large Tuscan pillars and a barrel-vaulted ceiling. At the juncture of the arms, a small tower crowns the exterior of the church and was executed by Hendrick Jacobsz Staets, town carpenter at the time.

Believed to be one of Amsterdam's oldest buildings, this Dutch Brick Gothic church was begun in the late 13th century. In its early days, before the Nieuwe Kerk was built, it was the center of the city's religious life. Among its claims to fame are its spectacular organ and its small chapels. Most of the furnishings in the church date to the late 16th century, after Protestantism became the official religion and the structure's original Catholic trappings were removed. Stone slabs in the floor mark the resting places of some of Amsterdam's past elite, including that of Rembrandt's first wife.