Romanian Orthodox community near Amsterdam buys church after nearly three-year effort

Romanians in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, have purchased the church they have been using since 2024. “The purchase has become a unifying force within our community,” Fr Ion Iuga, parish priest of the Romanian Orthodox community of St John Chrysostom in Amsterdam, told Basilica News Agency.

The priest explained that the lack of a sufficiently spacious place of worship had begun to affect attendance at services.

For this reason, the community decided in 2024 to move to the Roman Catholic Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God in Heemstede, south-west of Amsterdam.

Distinctive architecture The interior of the newly acquired church. Photo credit: “St. John Chrysostom” Parish in Amsterdam The process of acquiring the church took almost three years and involved numerous legal procedures.

Fr Ion Iuga also highlighted the building’s distinctive architectural features, which have led many parishioners to regard it as particularly suitable for Orthodox worship.

“The church building has distinctive architecture, making a powerful impression on anyone entering it for the first time. Because of its Byzantine features, its domed design and the absence of columns, many…