The 18th-century fortress church that survived a British cannonball and a religious merger

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Tucked within the walls of Willemstad's Fort Amsterdam, the Fort Church is more than a place of worship. Since 1769, this UNESCO World Heritage site has served as a silent witness to Curaçao's colonial history, housing a British cannonball in its outer wall and a masterpiece of 18th-century clockwork.

The origins of the Fort Church are tied to the Dutch West India Company, which began building Fort Amsterdam in 1635. A wooden church was established shortly after in 1636, but the current stone structure was commissioned in 1766 to serve the local garrison. Consecrated in 1769, the building features original mahogany furnishings, including a pulpit and a governor's bench designed by Pieter de Mey. These elements remain central to the church, which continues to host weekly services in Dutch.

The site's history is marked by both conflict and reconciliation. During the 1804 British conquest of Curaçao, a cannonball struck the church, where it remains embedded in the outer wall today. The same conflict destroyed the local Lutheran church, prompting a pragmatic solution: the Reformed and Lutheran communities began sharing the Fort Church. This cooperation eventually led to the 1824 merger of the two denominations into the United Protestant Community of Curaçao, a unified body that still maintains the building.

Architectural evolution and preservation have defined the church's modern era. The original octagonal tower was swapped for a round one in 1903, and the entire structure underwent a significant restoration in 1991. By 1997, the church was recognized as part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the historical centre of Willemstad. Today, the building serves a dual purpose; while it remains an active place of worship, its basement houses a museum dedicated to the Protestant history of the island, featuring the original 1766 clockwork mechanism crafted by Dirk van der Meer.

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