De Krijtberg, officially the Church of St Francis Xavier (Sint-Franciscus Xaveriuskerk), is the Jesuit church on the Singel, a short walk from the Spui and the flower market. Its two brick spires, squeezed between the canal houses, hide one of the most colourful neo-Gothic interiors in Amsterdam. The present church was built from 1881 to 1883 by the architect Alfred Tepe, on the site of a 17th-century hidden church. Admission is free; allow 20 to 30 minutes for your visit.
Highlights
The façade on the Singel
With only a narrow plot to work with, Alfred Tepe built upwards: a brick façade framed by two stair towers that rises well above the neighbouring houses. The vault reaches 31 metres. The church has been a national monument (rijksmonument) since 1976.
The painted nave
The interior, a basilica with three aisles and galleries, is painted from floor to vault. The first scheme, in gold, green, red and black, was repainted in 1927 by Hans Mengelberg in shades of green, blue, yellow, violet and brown. The crown-shaped hexagonal chandeliers date from 1906. The whole church was restored in 2000.
The choir and its altars
The five-sided choir holds the gilded former high altar with its ciborium, beneath the beam carrying the triumphal cross. The Mengelberg workshop made these pieces, as well as the Lady altar and the communion rail; the St Joseph altar, the pulpit and the confessionals come from the Cuypers workshops.
The statues
Along the walls stand Jesuit saints and a Pietà from the Mengelberg workshop, along with a Sacred Heart statue from 1883. An 18th-century Baroque statue of the Virgin comes from the old hidden church.
The organ and the stained glass
The organ, built in 1905 by Adema, reuses an 1836 Bätz instrument from the previous church. Above the entrance, two windows by Gisèle van Waterschoot van der Gracht depict Peace (1945) and the theological virtues (1946).
The hidden church of the Krijtberg
In 1654 the Jesuit Petrus Laurentii bought three houses on the Singel and set up a hidden church behind the largest one, called "De Crytbergh", the chalk mountain. According to the church, the name refers to the chalk cliffs of southern England, where the ships of the merchant who lived there used to sail. The church was enlarged in 1835, then replaced by the present building, consecrated on 3 December 1883.
Infos pratiques
Tips
The church is only open at certain times, published month by month on its website: check before you go. Your best bet is a weekday around noon, around the daily 12.30 pm mass; during services, stay at the back and do not take photos. Admission is free and donations are welcome. Wheelchair access is through the presbytery, on request from the sexton. Information checked in October 2026.
How to get there
Singel 446-448, 1017 AV Amsterdam, between the Spui and the Koningsplein. Trams 2 and 24, Koningsplein stop, about a 3-minute walk. Trams 4 and 14 or metro 52, Rokin stop, about a 5-minute walk. From Dam Square, allow 10 minutes on foot via the Kalverstraat and the Spui.
Opening hours
Nearby
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