Historic Dutch former Catholic church destroyed by fire on New Year’s Day
Catholic News Agency••world
Key Points:
- A fire on January 1 destroyed the historic Vondelkerk, a former Catholic church in Amsterdam built in 1880 by architect Pierre Cuypers, reducing the 150-year-old building mostly to ashes.
- Firefighters responded around 1 a.m., but the blaze consumed nearly the entire structure, causing the church’s tower to collapse into the nave, leaving only burned walls behind.
- The church, deconsecrated in 1979 and later converted into an event venue, was owned by Stadsherstel Amsterdam, which expressed sympathy for affected tenants and event organizers while launching a crowdfunding campaign for restoration.
- No injuries or deaths were reported, and the cause of the fire remains unknown.
- This
