Asking questions is central to scientific research. Questions about the past of the Pieterskerk Leiden and the meaning of the art and architecture in the monument.

That is why the Pieterskerk Leiden stimulates scientific research. We offer help and support for external research inquiries, but we also carry out our own scientific research. For example, the curator of the Pieterskerk Leiden finished a PhD thesis at Leiden University in 2025, concerning the modern history of the monument.

Research also plays an important role in the maintenance of the Pieterskerk Leiden. For example, when (large) restoration projects and conservation efforts for the collection take place, it is always preceded by thorough research.

The Pieterskerk Leiden Foundation is best-practice with regard to the digital management of maintenance. This results in a finetuned long-term planning for all maintenance and an optimal control on the costs of maintenance.

The Pieterskerk Leiden Foundation works closely with its research partners and the Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands).

Nine centuries of Leiden history
The publication De Pieterskerk in Leiden – Bouwgeschiedenis, inrichting en gedenktekens comprises more than 500 pages and 400 photographs and illustrations. The book is based on extensive architectural history research carried out for the restoration period between 2000 and 2010. It also contains much information on art historical subjects. Experts from Leiden University, architectural historians and architects, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, and the Pieterskerk Leiden Foundation jointly took the initiative for this monograph. The book highlights the building history of the monument and its use over the course of nine centuries. It is available only in Dutch.

Edited by Elizabeth den Hartog and John Veerman.

The 2025 publication De Pieterskerk in Leiden 1795-heden – Herinnering en gemeenschap is the trade edition of curator Ward Hoskens’s doctoral dissertation. He received his PhD in 2025 for his research on the modern history of the Pieterskerk, with a focus on cultural history, the development of the Pieterskerk as heritage, and the ways in which the past has been approached. The research focuses on changes in the use and meanings of the monument during a turbulent and multifaceted historical period. The book was published by WBOOKS.