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The
Walloon
Church
was
originally
the
chapel
of
a
Roman
Catholic
monastery,
the
Sint-Paulusbroederklooster.
The
monastery's
first
chapel
was
built
in
1409
but
most
likely
destroyed
during
the
fire
of
1452.
In
1493,
the
monastery
received
permission
to
build
a
new
chapel,
which
was
taken
into
use
three
years
later.
Following
the
1578
Alteratie
(the
Protestant
Reformation
in
Amsterdam),
the
chapel
was
confiscated
by
the
city
government.
It
was
used
as
a
storeroom
and
for
various
other
purposes
until
1586,
when
it
was
offered
to
the
Walloon
Reformed
community
of
religious
refugees,
French-speaking
Protestants
who
had
fled
religious
persecution
in
the
Southern
Netherlands
and
France.
It
was
one
of
a
large
number
of
Walloon
churches
established
in
the
Dutch
Republic
during
this
period
—
at
least
fifteen
in
the
period
1571-1590
alone.
In
1616,
a
new
entrance
was
added
on
the
north
side
of
the
church,
with
a
gate
designed
by
city
architect
Hendrick
de
Keyser.
The
gate,
which
gave
access
to
Oude
Hoogstraat
street,
was
decorated
with
skulls,
a
nod
to
the
funeral
processions
which
passed
through
this
gate.
The
front
gate
of
the
church,
in
Classical
style,
dates
to
1647.
The
church,
consisting
of
a
central
nave
and
a
northern
semitransept,
was
extended
in
1661
with
a
southern
semitransept.
The
revocation
of
the
Edict
of
Nantes
in
1685
led
to
another
wave
of
Protestant
refugees
from
France,
greatly
swelling
the
Walloon
community
in
Amsterdam.
In
order
to
accommodate
the
larger
community,
the
church
was
extended
with
galleries
on
three
sides.
The
church
nevertheless
proved
too
small,
so
a
second
church
was
opened
in
a
disused
bell
foundry
on
Prinsengracht
canal
in
1716.
The
Walloon
church
was
subsequently
known
as
the
Oude
Waalse
Kerk
("Old
Walloon
Church")
or
Grande
Église
("Great
Church")
to
distinguish
it
from
the
second
church,
known
as
the
Nieuwe
Waalse
Kerk
("New
Walloon
Church")
of
Petite
Église
("Lesser
Church").
The
church
underwent
further
renovations
in
1816
and
1891,
among
others,
during
which
the
galleries
were
again
removed.
In
1990-1992,
the
church
was
restored,
whereby
the
foundations
were
restored
to
stop
the
church
from
sinking,
caused
by
the
front
facade
installed
in
1885.
During
this
restoration,
so
many
tombstones
were
found
that
a
decision
was
made
to
replace
the
concrete
floor
with
a
new,
self-supporting
floor
with
its
own
foundation.
The
balcony
was
also
restored.
The
small
square
in
front
of
the
church,
known
colloquially
as
the
Walenpleintje
("Little
Walloon
Square"),
was
officially
given
this
name
in
1976.
The
address
of
the
church
is
Walenpleintje
159,
as
the
street
numbering
still
follows
that
of
the
Oudezijds
Achterburgwal
canal.
A
plaque
in
the
northern
semitransept
of
the
church
carries
the
French
inscription
Fondée
en
1409;
Restaurée
en
1647;
Agrandie
en
1661;
Rebâtie
en
1816;
Restaurée
en
1891
par
le
troupeau
Wallon
et
par
ceux
qui
s'intéressent
à
son
culte;
Restaurée,
ameliorée
et
renovée
en
1991
et
1992.
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