| Biography |
Nicolaas Listingh (1630-1705) was a lawyer and amateur structural engineer. For forty-two years, he was churchwarden of the Oude Kerk - on the armorial board in the Churchwarden's Room, you can see his family crest by the year 1655. A portrait of him in his old age - the portrait dates from 1702 - also hangs there. On it, he proudly displays his own architectural designs. But none of the impressive structures were ever realized. The domed church on one of the designs was supposed to be a huge house of worship on the Botermarkt, today's Rembrandtplein. It never got beyond a metre-high scale model. That model can be seen in the Oude Kerk, near the organ. Listingh was buried in the Oude Kerk in 1705. You will find his grave in the Lady Chapel. |
