Amsterdam, some historical facts about the Old Church

The church was once due for further extensions, but these plans ground to a halt as funds were diverted to the Nieuwe Kerk. A century later, Calvinist iconoclasts smashed and looted many of the Oude Kerk's priceless paintings, statues and altars. The Calvinist authorities kicked out the hawkers and vagabonds who had made the church their home, and changed the official name from St Nicolaaskerk to Oude Kerk - as it was commonly known anyway. In the mid-17th century the Nieuwe Kerk took over as the city's main church.