17. Aspects Of Iconoclasm In Utrecht Today And In The Past

Abstract

In the sixteenth century the city of Utrecht was the ecclesiastical centre of the Northern Netherlands. In July and August 1566 the situation was intense. Preachers who propagated dissenting views of religion were not appreciated. Both the ecclesiastical and the secular authorities in Utrecht wanted to carry on in the traditional way. Images were sacrilegious, because they attempted to depict the invisible divine. The events that took place in 1566 show how in the city of Utrecht two parish churches and two monastic churches were victims of Protestant iconoclasm. Other churches and chapels were spared. From this 'selection' it may appear that only the parish churches which mattered to the commoners and the two churches of the religious orders most hated by the new religion fell victim to vandalism. In 1580 Utrecht converted to the Reformation. This chapter further discusses the aspects of Iconoclasm in Utrecht. Keywords: Iconoclasm; images; monastic churches; parish churches; preachers; Protestant; Utrecht