De Oude Kerk, Amsterdam II

This light-filled interior was photographed in one of the oldest churches in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, begun in the early 13th century and expanded over time. Instead of attempting to take in the breadth of space in the main part of a church, Candida Höfer dwelled on the arrangements of a side chapel. The space is spare and peopled only by suggestion, with two benches placed against the wall, yet is full of the echoes of history. One can discern many layers of addition and alteration: gravestones on the floor; a uniquely shaped spiral staircase in the corner; and modern lighting fixture hanging next to an older chandelier. The niches on the far wall were stripped of sculptural ornamental during the 16th-century transition of the sanctuary from a Catholic to a Calvinist church and now stand empty.