Sejarah Gereja Belanda Austin Friars di City of London: Refleksi Sejarah Gerakan Reformasi — Harapan dan Tantangan

Abstract

In the centre of the City of London one can find the Dutch Church Austin Friars. Thanks to the Charter granted in 1550 by King Edward VI, the Dutch refugees were allowed to start their services in the church of the old monastery of the Augustine Friars. What makes the history of the Dutch Church in London so special is the fact that the church can lay claim to being the oldest institutionalised Dutch protestant church in the world. As such it was a source of inspiration for the protestant church in the Netherlands in its formative years during the sixteenth century. Despite its long history, the Dutch Church is still alive and well today. This article will look at the origin of this church and the challenges it faced and the developments it experienced during the 466 years of its existence.

Keywords

• Dutch Church
• Austin Friars
• refugees
• religious persecution
• congregation building