The Sacred Heart statue by sculptor Johannes Petrus Maas is situated on the grass courtyard in the Begijnhof in Amsterdam, and was unveiled on 11th June 1920.
The Begijnhof is one of the oldest courtyards (hofjes) in Amsterdam. It consists of a group of historic buildings, mostly private dwellings and as the name suggests, it was originally a Béguinage.
This Beguinage is the only courtyard founded in medieval Amsterdam and is located within the Singel, the innermost canal of Amsterdam's circular canal system. (
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The placement of the statue marked the establishment of an Intronization Association that, with permission from the Diocese of Haarlem, wanted to promote sacred heart worship in Amsterdam.
At the unveiling a letter from Bishop Augustine Callier was read aloud and the enthronement was carried out by Monsignor A. Bosman, the Dean of Amsterdam.
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Devotion to the Sacred Heart has been mentioned since the 13th century.
Sacred heart worship was revived by the Roman Catholic Church around the late 19th early 20th century in response to an increasingly anti-religious outside world. It was thought that through the Sacred Heart devotion people could live and strengthen their faith in a more personal and emotional way. (
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The statue is a stone sculpted figure of Jesus Christ in a long draped pleated robe. Both hands are pointing to the flaming heart on his chest. Behind his head he carries a cross-antenna.
Heilig Hartbeeld (Sacred Heart Statue): (
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Johannes Petrus Maas: (
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Begijnhof: (
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Jesus Christ"Jesus, also called Jesus Christ, Jesus of Galilee, or Jesus of Nazareth, (born c. 6–4 bc, Bethlehem—died c. ad 30, Jerusalem), religious leader revered in Christianity, one of the world’s major religions. He is regarded by most Christians as the Incarnation of God."
"Alternative Titles: ?Isa, ?Isa ibn Maryam, Christ, Jesus Christ, Jesus of Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus son of Joseph, Jesus the Nazarene" SOURCE: (
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"Christian doctrines include the beliefs that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of a virgin named Mary, performed miracles, founded the Christian Church, died by crucifixion as a sacrifice to achieve atonement for sin, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven, from where he will return. Most Christians believe Jesus enables people to be reconciled to God. The Nicene Creed asserts that Jesus will judge the living and the dead either before or after their bodily resurrection, an event tied to the Second Coming of Jesus in Christian eschatology. The great majority of Christians worship Jesus as the incarnation of God the Son, the second of three persons of the Trinity. A minority of Christian denominations reject Trinitarianism, wholly or partly, as non-scriptural. The birth of Jesus is celebrated annually on December 25 (or various dates in January by some eastern churches) as Christmas. His crucifixion is honored on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter. The widely used calendar era "AD", from the Latin anno Domini ("year of the Lord"), and the equivalent alternative "CE", are based on the approximate birthdate of Jesus."
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