In Our Lord in the Attic Museum this autumn, it will be visible and tangible how the dead were commemorated in the Catholic tradition. Both religious rituals and domestic customs come to life around All Saints’ Day, All Souls’ Day and Halloween in the museum. Don’t be startled by the catafalque that stands in front of the altar. This scaffold with a coffin on top is needed to pray for forgiveness of the sins of the deceased.

For centuries, death was mainly a religious matter. In the Catholic tradition, rituals took place in the church, mainly aimed at caring for the soul of the deceased. In doing so, the faithful were given a comforting message: death is not the end, but a new beginning of life in the beyond. This changed in the 19th century. Dealing with death also shifted to this side, as it were. Remembering the dead and keeping the memory of the dead alive became important for those left behind. But not only that. It was also a great opportunity to showcase the status of the deceased and his or her family. Park-like cemeteries were created with headstones, monuments and weeping willows where one could mourn the loss of the loved one. Strict rules and codes emerged regarding clothing, interiors and how people were supposed to behave. Mourning tableware made its appearance and in Amsterdam people ate mourning gingerbread or mourning pretzels.

‘At death’s door and beyond’ is a temporary presentation on church and domestic rituals and customs surrounding death. On view at various places in Jan Hartman’s seventeenth-century residence and in the hidden church in the attic.

Special card set for families:
Especially for families (fun for children aged 8 and over), Museum Ons’ Lieve Heer op Solder has created a card set to accompany the temporary presentation On This Side and Beyond of Death. On the route through the museum, children and parents are challenged to talk to each other about larger themes around death and do fun assignments together. Find out more about each other’s souls, philosophise with each other about life after death and discover more about the meaning of a pretzel.
*The card set is available at the museum counter and is included in the entrance fee.

Our Lord in the Attic Museum strives to connect past and present. This new presentation on mourning and commemoration tells the origins of centuries-old rituals, and challenges you to reflect on their meaning in contemporary life.