The Oude Kerk, or ‘Old Church’ (ca. 1305), is the oldest surviving building in Amsterdam. Up until the Alteration (1578), when the Roman Catholic municipal administration was expelled from office, the church had been dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of Amsterdam. In the space of two centuries the original church, dating to around 1300, grew into a hall church with three aisles (the space between two rows of columns), and a large chancel. On weekdays the Oude Kerk also functioned as a meeting place. The Oude Kerk was even used for stock exchange dealings for some time. Well-known Amsterdam residents lie buried within the church, including the naval hero Isaac Sweers, the composer Jan Pieterz. Sweelinck, the civic historians Isaac Commelin and Tobias van Domselaar, the architect Justus Vingboons, the poet Roemer Visscher, the painter Jan van der Heyden, and Rembrandt’s wife Saskia.