Begijnhof

The Begijnhof is the only courtyard hofje founded in medieval Amsterdam and lies tucked away just off Spui inside the Singel canal ring. It was established in the 14th century for Beguines, lay religious women who lived celibately without taking full convent vows; the last Beguine died here in 1971. Highlights include the Houten Huys of around 1528, one of only two surviving wooden houses in central Amsterdam; the English Reformed Church where the Pilgrim Fathers preached in 1607 before sailing on the Mayflower; and the Schuilkerk, a clandestine Catholic house church from the Reformation era. A Sacred Heart statue by Johannes Petrus Maas (1920) stands in the courtyard. Free entry from 9 to 17, with silence as the house rule.