The Oude Kerk has always been connected to movement from place to place as it was originally the church of seafarers who traveled to distant places, hence the name of chapels such as the Buitenlandvaarderskapel (sailors-to-foreign-land chapel). As these travel and migration activities are of all times, you will find countless individuals in the graves that voyaged around the globe. However, a considerable number of them did so to advance the Dutch colonial effort. Additionally, the Oude Kerk is situated in a historically multicultural area. The result of this is that members of various communities were buried in the church. Examples are the members of the Armenian society, who came from places like current-day Iran and Russia.
Last, artists from abroad that have come to the church to work on exhibits also are part of this transnationalism. They bring perspectives with them that influence the Oude Kerk as a place and as a museum. Moreover, they add and reflect upon the histories that are continuously being developed. For this reason, transnationality is an important factor, both in the past as in the present. A question that comes to mind is how the Oude Kerk—a place rooted in multiculturalism—can be an open space for diverse communities today?