Hidden away in the Juffrouw Idastraat lies a remarkable piece of The Hague’s history: the H.H. Jacobus and Augustinus Church, a Baroque secret church that dates back to the 18th century. Behind its modest façade is a place where Catholics once worshipped in secrecy during a time of religious restrictions.
The church was born during a period of tension between Dutch Catholics and the Vatican. While Rome insisted on centralized control, a desire for independence was growing in the Netherlands. In 1722, the Old Catholic Church of The Hague was founded—even though Protestantism had been the official state religion since 1578. Churches like this one, disguised as ordinary homes, offered Catholics a safe place to gather.
In 1723, this church became the setting for a historic break with the Vatican, after a bishop was appointed in Utrecht without Rome’s approval. This marked the beginning of an independent Old Catholic community—one that would later reestablish closer ties with the Roman Catholic Church.
Sources. Story: Source Story: https://denhaag.com/nl/oud-katholieke-schuilkerk Photos: Source photo: 1. Pvt pauline, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons 2. Dienst Stedelijke Ontwikkeling (Tom Verhaar) uit het Haags Gemeentearchief
