Cloister yard of the former St. Mary's

St. Mary's Church

St.Mary's Church was built in the 11th century. It was a collegiate church; the clergymen (canons) had religious as well as worldly power. They owned houses on their territory (‘immunity’), the Mariaplaats, which was separated from the city by a canal. The church appears on several of Pieter Saenredam's paintings from the 17th century. At the end of the 18th century only the choir remained, which was used as a concert-hall. In 1845 it was torn down and the present Arts and Sciences Building (K&W) was erected. Nowadays the cloister is the only part of the church that is left. The garden was redesigned in 1973.