Union of Utrecht: three stormy days
Geertekerkhof 23
Contributed by
Dirk Cater speaking — 'Finally, it is time for some action! Yesterday it really happened! After one of the sermons outside the Tolsteeg Gate, a group left for the Geertechurch. They smashed a few of the church's statues as a means of protest. This was the impetus we needed! Now I am on my way to the City Hall with my friend Jacob Cozijnsz. It should now be clear that it is time that we, the Calvinists, get our own church to hold our sermons. And if the city council is going to be difficult about it, I am happy to remind them that we are not alone. Then it won't just be the destruction of the Geertechurch, no church here in Utrecht will be safe anymore! Well, I would know what do if I were the council. Wish me luck...'
After news of Iconoclasts raging in the south of the country reaches the Utrechters, a three-day iconoclasm takes place in the city, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. It begins with two Calvinists knocking at the city hall doors on Aug. 25, 1566. They demand two church buildings from the mayor to hold their services from now on. These man are Dirk and his friend Jacob. Meanwhile, a crowd has gathered in front of several churches in the city. When no answer is forthcoming, the citizens become impatient and storm the Geertechurch. Statues, crosses, books and all the opulence on display are destroyed. And the angry mob doesn't stop there. In the following days, the crowd grows to several hundred iconoclasts. Now it is the turn of the Buurchurch, the Jacobi Church, St. Mary's Church and the Nicolaas Church. When there is another knock at the town hall, the mayor has no choice but to let the Calvinists have their way. After three days of storm, they are assigned the Jacobi Church for a meeting.
