Welcome!

Witnessing the lively crowd of the Waterlooplein market you find the monumental Moses and Aaron Church. You can walk in for a moment of inspiration, peace, encouragement and encounter. Be welcome!

As you step inside, you immediately notice the impressive baroque altar and, when you turn around, the magnificent organ. The church contains a wealth of paintings, sculptures, ornaments and details from the last four centuries.

We call the Moses and Aaron ‘church of mercy’. And that’s not for nothing. The church is a place of social closeness to the city’s poor. It is the home base of the Community of Sant’Egidio, people, young and old, who are committed to helping the homeless, the lonely elderly, the poor. They do so in an atmosphere of great cordiality.

Holy mass

The liturgy of the Eucharist is usually held on Sundays at 11 am.

Please check the agenda for exceptions.

Check the agenda

Opening times

The church is open to visitors on Thursdays and Fridays from 12 am to 4 pm.

A hidden church

The Moses and Aaron Church began as a hidden church in the 17th century. When public Catholic churches were banned after the Protestants came to power, Catholics answered by starting hidden churches. Around 1645, a small Franciscan church was established on the site of the present church, hidden in two houses in the Jewish neighbourhood carrying the gable stones of Moses and Aaron. By the end of the 18th century, religious freedom was restored and in 1837, the construction of the present church began. Although it is still known as the Moses and Aaron Church, the new church was officially dedicated to St Anthony.

Main altar

The baroque main altar comes from the original hidden church. High in the sky above the richly decorated altar, God the Father is depicted. Next to him sits Christ and above them the dove symbolising the Holy Spirit is visible. The Father holds in his right hand a crown for Mary rising to heaven. Peter and Paul accompany her. At the very top, Moses (with the stone tablets) and Aaron (with censer) seem to be watching what is happening below them. In the past, the 18th-century altarpiece below showing the resurrection of Christ was exchanged during the liturgical year with the two works by Jacob de Wit (1695-1754) now hanging on either side of the organ.

We call the Moses and Aaron ‘church of mercy’. And that’s not for nothing. The church is a place of social closeness to the city’s poor. It is the home base of the Community of Sant’Egidio, people, young and old, who are committed to helping the homeless, the lonely elderly, the poor. They do so in an atmosphere of great cordiality.

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