PAUSHUIZE

Located on the corner of the Kromme Nieuwegracht canal and the Sint Pieter and Achter de Dom lanes, this house is well worth a visit. It features an image of a saint on its façade and a strange, stepped gable with a small masonry column on each step. And last but not least, horizontal white stripes, known colloquially as "layers of lard", stretch across the entire façade. This house was built around 1500, by the only pope the Netherlands ever had: Adrianus VI (Adrian VI), who deserves a short biography.

Adrianus was born in Utrecht. The son of an entrepreneur, he studied at Louvain, then became a teacher and advisor to Emperor Charles V. He gradually rose through the ranks, from bishop to cardinal, and achieved the rare feat of becoming pope... against his will, it seems. Naturally, this caused quite a stir in Utrecht, where the populace erupted in drinking and merriment worthy of Roman orgies. Music and dancing resounded everywhere, wine flowed freely and bread was distributed to the poor. But Rome didn't take kindly to the imposition of a northern barbarian with no title of nobility and a reformist streak, especially when it came to the budget, which Adrianus felt was squandered by too many jobs of convenience. A year after his election, Adrianus VI died, despite his apparent good health. Many claimed he had been poisoned.