Museum Catharijneconvent

Current exhibitions

About the museum

Museum Catharijneconvent is devoted to the history of Christianity in the Netherlands and its art. It opened in 1979, bringing together several previously separate collections, including the Archiepiscopal Museum of Utrecht, the Episcopal Museum of Haarlem, and a foundation for Protestant church art; further collections were added later. The museum has the status of a national museum.

It is housed in one of the best-preserved late medieval convent complexes in the country. The Carmelites began building it in 1468; in the 17th and 18th centuries the building served as the city hospital and is regarded as a forerunner of the Utrecht University Medical Center. From 1958 one wing also housed what later became Museum Speelklok.

The collection ranges from the early Middle Ages to the present: manuscripts and precious bindings, sculptures, liturgical vestments, goldsmiths' work in the treasury, and paintings, including works by Rembrandt and Frans Hals. In the cloisters, the permanent exhibition tells of monasteries, the Reformation, denominations, and social change; for families there is the exhibition “Feest! Weet wat je viert” on the background of religious holidays. Every year the “Huis van Sinterklaas” and a large Christmas nativity scene draw many visitors.

The museum is planning an extensive renovation to designs by KAAN Architecten, for which it will probably have to close for about two years; a start date has not yet been set.

Highlights

• Treasury with chalices, reliquaries, and vestments from the 9th to the 20th century
• One of the most important medieval collections in the Netherlands, including the Middle Rhine Altarpiece
• Huge St. Christopher sculpture and the “Blauwe Madonna” by Jacques Frenken
• Late medieval cloisters of the Carmelite convent
• 19th-century model of the Temple Mount in the family exhibition “Feest!”

Permanent exhibitions

• Altijd te zien – Vaste collectie – Medieval masterpieces, the treasury, and paintings in the convent's cloisters tell the story of Christianity in the Netherlands.
• Feest! Weet wat je viert – Hands-on exhibition for families on the origins and customs of religious holidays; closed in November and December.

Founded

1979

Director

Josien Paulides

Visitors per year

approx. 149,420 (2024)

Admission & discounts

Online prices listed (€1 more at the ticket desk: adults €16). Free with the Museumkaart; also free with the VriendenLoterij VIP-KAART, Rembrandtkaart, ICOM card, AICA pass, and U-pas, and for friends of the museum. A surcharge may apply for some special exhibitions. Reservation not required; card or credit card payment only at the museum. Lectures free with a valid ticket (reservation required).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

All floors accessible by elevator, and the café is wheelchair-accessible too; because of doors between the galleries, a companion is recommended. Power wheelchairs and small scooters allowed, larger scooters not (narrow passages). Two loaner wheelchairs and one rollator (reservation required), folding stools in the galleries. Accessible restroom on the first floor. Public accessible parking spaces at Nieuwegracht 46 and Oudegracht 310. Multisensory tours for visually impaired people (max. 8 people, free with admission, register three weeks in advance); low-stimulus tours in the Huis van Sinterklaas.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Family exhibition “Feest! Weet wat je viert” on Christian and other religious holidays (not accessible in November and December because of the Huis van Sinterklaas). Annual Huis van Sinterklaas and Christmas nativity scene with a program for families.

Getting there & parking

Arrival by public transport recommended; parking in the city center is difficult.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Museum café (run by Heirloom) with a terrace in the courtyard; unattended cloakroom, free lockers – only small handbags allowed in the exhibitions. Museum shop in the entrance area.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.

Plan your visit