The Calvinist iconoclasts of 1566 smashed Utrecht's altars, burned its relics, and tore out its stained glass

The post-Vatican II Archdiocese demolished more churches in 30 years than the Reformation did in 200 years

They called it pastoral renewal

The lost churches of Utrecht 🧵
The 'Biltstraatkerk' was the largest neo-Gothic hall church in the Netherlands

A masterpiece by Alfred Tepe and the Guild of Saint Bernulf: altars by Mengelberg, stained glass by Geuer, wall paintings by Joep Nicolas

It had ~4900 at its peak

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport sits 4 metres below sea level, and was built on a drained lake bed.

71 million passengers per year now land where lakes used to reign.

And pumps run 24/7 to stop the airport from flooding 🧵


In 1852 the Haarlemmermeer was drained

2 centuries of planning preceded the pumping of 275 square kilometres

And since violent storms once killed ships there, the place was given its name: Schiphol

Meaning: ship grave

The French didn't invent wine trading, the Dutch did

Amsterdam's Wijnkopersgilde (Wine buyer's guild) regulated how wine was traded across Europe, by their inspection, tasting, storage, and standards

Dutch merchants standardised how wine moved across borders

Besides the wine, the barrels mattered even more...

So Dutch Kuipersgilden (Cooper's Guilds) became known for precision and consistency

The barrel wood was known for its tight seals, uniform sizes, and reliable construction

Wine merchants in Bordeaux and Nantes started hiring Dutch coopers...

Too many men walk around with filthy, unkept shoes.

The way you carry yourself tells all about who you are

Also: shoe maintenance ain't that hard

So here’s how I take care of my shoes 🧵

https://twitter.com/robbertleusink/status/1980333461459415455

The two basic materials for dress shoes are smooth leather and suede.

They're many others, like cordovan, alligator, goat, snake etc.

In this thread I'll tell you the basics for smooth calf leathers and suedes...

Your cold plunges, detox routines, blood circulation, and grounding routines have been hijacked by online gurus and asian ritualism. They’re stripped of their Euro-Catholic origin.

The father of modern wellness wasn’t a yogi, but a Catholic priest from Germany 🧵
In the 19th century, Sebastian Kneipp, a priest from Bavaria, stood barefoot in the grass, his cassock completely soaked.

And in a weird twist of history, his ascetic practices became the seed of luxury wellness.

Waarom ik niet van Barok hou:

Barok staat bekend om haar overdadige ornamenten, dramatische beweging en rijkdom aan detail. Maar is niet inherent christelijk. Ze richtte kunst zich eerder op sensatie en emotie, dan spirituele contemplatie. 🧵 Hoewel barokke kunst zeker indrukwekkend kan zijn, moeten we esthetische pracht niet met spirituele diepte verwarren. In haar essentie is de barokke kunst misschien niet zo christelijk. Ze is eerder een product van haar tijd.

🧵De begrafenis van Koning Elizabeth II was tevens de begrafenis van het westen hoe wij het altijd gekend hebben. Een traditie diep verankerd in de cultuur van deze specifieke natie, maar ook een beeldspraak voor de begrafenis van de tradities, die de moderne mens verwerpt. Daar lag ze dan... gelegen op het kruispunt van het schip en het transept; de plek waar de armen van het kruis elkaar ontmoeten. Wat een nauwkeurige symbolisering van het einde van een wereld zoals onze voorouders deze gekend hebben en tevens van haar Sacrale Koningschap ✝️👑