That ‘De Parel aan de Poel’, the Amstelveense Urbanuskerk, which was resurrected after the devastating fire of 2018, is a miracle for many. Now that the restoration of the church is entering the final phase, an exciting period begins, because the church board is still thousands of euros short to restore an important detail. Last Friday evening, the Friends of the Bovenkerkse Urbanus Foundation organized an auction to raise as much money as possible.
“Two hundred euros, none higher. Sold!”, the Amstelveen auctioneer Nielsson Kooijman shouts through the hall. In his eyes, the turnout was a bit meager at first, but the donations are generous, he notices. Under the hammer went on Friday, among other things, various watercolors showing the Urbanus Church and other beautiful places in Amstelveen and the surrounding area, icons painted with gold leaf and original pieces from the church.
“This is a watercolor of a park in Amstelveen where I live close by,” says one of the proud buyers. Another just missed: “I had a limit of two hundred euros for myself and the bids went beyond that,” he says, a bit disappointed. Another present actually says that he is present at all actions for the church. “You just want that church to be preserved for the village.”
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Still thousands of euros needed for restoration of stations of the cross – NH Nieuws
For artist Dolf Middelhoff it was more than logical to donate two of his paintings to the auction. The Amstelvener developed a special bond with the Urbanuskerk, because he photographed and painted the monument countless times, both before and after the fire.
“The churchgoers don’t know the church any differently than with those stations in it”
“The passion only grew when it broke,” he says when reporter from NH Nieuws Celine Sulsters met him at a magical spot along De Poel where the painter captures the beauty of the Urbanus Church for the umpteenth time with elegant brushstrokes.
The amount that has yet to be collected, before the auction was 16,000 euros, will go to an important part of the church. “That money is for the restoration of the Stations of the Cross by painter Frans Loots,” explains Dolf. “That is vital, because those stations form a unity with this church and are custom-made. The churchgoers know the church no differently than with those stations in it.”
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The fourteen stations of the cross together depict the agony of Jesus Christ. Visitors to the church can walk past the paintings and literally reflect on what Jesus experienced during the last hours of his life on earth. A Stations of the Cross is an important part of a Catholic Church.
The stations suffered a lot during the fire and extinguishing activities. The heat has caused blisters in the paint and water damage is also visible. Restorer Jazzy de Groot estimates that it takes about 340 hours per station. She has been working on the project for two years and hopes to complete her work in three years at the latest. The public can enjoy Jazzy every week from this weekend see at work at the JAN Museum.
The auction ultimately raised more than 6000 euros and that is a nice step towards the final amount. “It’s fantastic. I had estimated half of it!”, Dolf says happily afterwards. The Friends of the Bovenkerkse Urbanus Foundation has still need 10,000 euros to complete the restoration of the Stations of the Cross.