On our first brief visit to Leiden to see the grave of Jan Steen we were thwarted by an early closure of the church as they were setting up for a huge sold out choral performance that evening. Since we had nothing scheduled for Sunday March 30 we decided to return to Leiden for further exploration and hoping to get into St. Peter’s church.
The Pieterskerk has been the central touchstone of Leiden for almost 900 years. St Peter’s two keys from the Leiden coat of arms symbolically unlock the gates to Heaven and Earth. This symbolism is reflected now in the current use of the Pieterskerk. Initially it was an active Catholic Church then became a reformed church, but since 1976 it was transformed into a multifunctional meeting place for concerts and various events.Van Hagerbeer Organ 1398. The pipework has been preserved and is regularly played and ideally suited for performances from the Dutch Golden Age.This memorial stone was placed near the spot where the Steen family grave is located.This is Jan Steen”s family gravesite under the floor.George H.W.Bush visited Leiden on July 17, yes even 1989. He was the first American President in office to do so. Bush came to the city because he was a descendent of the Pilgrims who lived next to the church between 1609 and 1620, before they sailed to America on the Mayflower. Nine American Presidents are descendants of the Pilgrims; John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, Calvin Coolidge, FDR, Bush senior and junior, Calvin Coolidge and yes even Barak Obama.The choir area of the church now serves as reception/dining room. The back wall where the altar would have been located is now the bar which is kind of symbolic of when the catholic priest uses wine in their goblet during the consecration to represent the blood of Christ.When we bought the tickets we asked the receptionist if there were any tours and he said there is a gentleman who is a great historian of the church and town that would be giving a tour at 2pm and he strongly encouraged us to take his tour.Charles van Reij was 75 years old and was waiting for a hip replacement so he walked slowly and sat often. His first stop was at the Baptistery which now has an exhibition on the Pilgrims. For many Americans, Leiden and especially The Pieterskerk are inseparable from the so-called Pilgrims who played an important role in the early days of the colonization of North America. Some of the Pilgrims settled in Leiden in 1609 to escape religious persecution in England. Then in 1620 they traveled to North America on the “Mayflower” to build a new life there. It is said that the American Thanksgiving in November is based on the Leiden Oct 3 celebration which refers to the city giving thanks for their liberation from the Spanish siege. Every year Americans in The Netherlands celebrate Thanksgiving in the Pieterskerk.On November 21, 1620 passengers of the Mayflower – now known as the Pilgrims – signed a covenant. In this Mayflower Compact they laid down the intention to form a political community in the new settlement they wanted to establish in the north of the British colony of Virginia (now; Plymouth, Mass).One of the leaders of the Pilgrims, John Robinson, lived opposite the church. The Pilgrims often joined him for their services. He was buried in the church in 1625.This is the gravestone of Edward Paige, only son of Edward and Anna Paige. Born in Boston New England. Feb 20, 1662 and died in Leiden Nov 1, 1680 age 18. This building was the home of John Quincy Adams. He was a student at Leiden University. His father John Adams, a descendent of the Pilgrims was the US ambassador to The Netherlands and often stayed here. John Adams was the second US President (1797-1801) John Quincy Adams was the sixth US President (1825-1829) A very full and satisfying day in Leiden made Philip very content on the train ride home.We thought it appropriate to end their visit the way it began with dinner at the Eritrean Restaurant.Philip took this photo of his last night in Amsterdam.And so we bid these two vaarwel and will miss our time together but they leave us with beautiful shared travel memories.
[…] all researching things to do in Leiden(except Mark). This is our third visit to Leiden, twice with Philip and Phyllis but we were happy to return as it is so charming here and we did not get to see the Botanical […]
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