Utrecht Pope Adrianus VI (1)

To day was a memorable day for the (Roman) Catholics.

It was the anniversary of the one and only Dutch-

and so also Utrecht - Pope Adrian VI.

The day started with a High Mass in the Catherine Cathedral, celebrated by Mgr. Wim Eijk, the present archbishop, and a symposium in the building of the Utrecht University.

Many guests arrived at the Dom place, among others the former arch bishop emeritus, also called Adrianus (Simonis) (on the picture with cap).

This day was also the start of many activities that will be generated as there are an exhibition of the famous painter Jan van Scorel, the treasurer of Pope Adrian VI (from March 20), guided tours through the Paushuize (the Pope’s House) that he bought in 1517 etc.

More about the Utrecht Pope Adrian VI in the following blogs.

Utrecht Hendrik Marsman

Hendrik Marsman
* Zeist, 30 September 1899 - † Het Kanaal, 21 June 1940

Marsman is one of the important poets of the Dutch literature.

Besides poet he was also a lawyer in Utrecht.

Against the wall of his office at Domstraat 8 is a shield on which Marsman wrote about the nature of the Utrecht people:

“No style, but the more character the town does have
A hard and narrow minded wilfilness
That fancies itself the yardstick of all things”

The most well known poem that he wrote about Holland is Herinnering aan Holland (1936) "Memory of Holland" (links D/E) which describes the Dutch landscape and the struggle against the water.