Utrecht, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe

Utrechtse Sodomieprocessen / Utrecht Sodomy Trials

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 23, 2016

1. Utrechtse Sodomieprocessen / Utrecht Sodomy Trials Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

18e eeuw
Sodomie
Baron Blomsaet
en 17 andere mannen werden
in Utrecht veroordeeld en gewurgd
Hun daden verzwegen

Vandaag
Homoseksualiteit
Mannen en vrouwen kiezen
in vrijheid

[English translation:]

18th Century
Sodomy
Baron Blomsaet
and 17 other men were
convicted in Utrecht and strangled
in an act of suppression

Today
Homosexuality
Men and women may choose
in freedom

Erected 1999.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events.

Location. 52° 5.449′ N, 5° 7.313′ E. Marker is in Utrecht. Marker is on Domplein just east of Servestraat. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Domplein 21, Utrecht 3512 JE, Netherlands. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Verzetsmonument Utrecht / Utrecht Resistance Monument (here, next to this marker); In Het Voetspuur Van Sint Maarten / In the Footsteps of Saint Martin (a few steps from this marker); Het Runensteen van Jelling Afgietsel / The Jelling Runestone Replica

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(within shouting distance of this marker); Universiteit Utrecht / Utrecht University (within shouting distance of this marker); Paleis Lofen (within shouting distance of this marker); Hendrik Marsman (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Paleis Lofen (within shouting distance of this marker); Anna Maria van Schurman (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Utrecht.

Also see . . .
1. Utrecht Sodomy Trials (Wikipedia). The Utrecht sodomy trials (Dutch: Utrechtse sodomieprocessen) were a large-scale persecution of homosexuals that took place in the Dutch Republic, starting in the city of Utrecht in 1730. Over the following year, the persecution of "sodomites" spread to the rest of the nation, leading to some 250 to 300 trials, often ending in a death sentence. (Submitted on December 12, 2016.)

2. Newspaper Reports: The Dutch Purge of Homosexuals 1730 (Rictor Norton). The major anti-gay purge of the eighteenth century occurred in the Netherlands. In April 1730 some men were arrested in Utrecht; they incriminated others,
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, November 23, 2016

2. Utrechtse Sodomieprocessen / Utrecht Sodomy Trials Marker
The marker is visible here in the foreground. In the background is a WW II memorial, and behind that a trompe l'oeil painting by Jan de Rode of the interior of the nave of St. Martin's Cathedral as it would have appeared in 1636, with the Cathedral itself behind that. The cathedral nave collapsed in a storm in 1674. The significance of the marker location is that the initial accusations that started the spate of trials were directed at men who were said to have met in the ruins of the nave, i.e. where the marker is now. (Click on photo to enlarge)
and on 21 July the States of Holland issued a Placat, posted in every town, that set off wide-scale persecution. The document began with the customary warnings about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, then lamented that no laws had heretofore been provided to punish "this execrable crime of sodomy", and concluded with its measures for obliterating this evil: that sodomy be punished by death, that those who offer their homes for its commission also die, that their corpses be burned to ashes and thrown into the sea "or exposed as unworthy of burial", that the names of the convicted — including the fugitives — be publicly posted, and that the magistrates be specially authorised to investigate thoroughly any suspicions, particularly against those who mysteriously flee the province....Some 250 men were summoned before the authorities; 91 faced decrees of exile for not appearing. At least 60 men were sentenced to death.... (Submitted on December 12, 2016.)

Additional keywords. LGBT LGBTQ

Credits. This page was last revised on January 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 473 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 12, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.