Waalse Kerk (Walloon Church), Leiden

The Walloon Church (Waalse Kerk), located on the Breestraat in Leiden, occupies a historic chapel that was originally part of Saint Catherine's Hospital. This institution traces its origins back to 1275. The chapel was expanded in 1635 with the addition of a side aisle, which was later converted into a sexton's residence. In 1638, the chapel became an auxiliary church for the Walloon congregation, French and Walloon Huguenots who fled to the Netherlands in the late 16th century and had worshiped in Leiden since the 1570s, primarily at the Church of the Lady from 1584.

Between 1737 and 1739, the chapel underwent renovations, including a Baroque-style façade crowned with a turret. However, the congregation's decline in the 18th century led to the chapel’s temporary disuse. After the Vrouwekerk was demolished in the early 19th century, the Walloon congregation returned to the chapel, which they acquired in 1818. The building continues to serve as the Walloon Church, with services held in French. It also hosts concerts and other cultural events.

The church features the Steevens/Van Assendelft organ, a historic instrument initially built between 1746 and 1748 by Gerard Steevens and later modified by Pieter Assendelft. The organ, relocated from the Vrouwekerk in 1819, has two manuals, 20 registers, and an attached pedal. It was last restored in 2014 by Flentrop Orgelbouw.

Today, the church remains an active hub for the Walloon Reformed congregation. Since the 1990s, Erik van Bruggen has served as the church’s sexton and organist, while Dr. Richard Bennahmias has been its permanent pastor since 2022.