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Saenredam dedicated his entire artistic career to the genre of architectural painting. His pictures featured only real buildings, notable landmarks of various Dutch towns. One of these buildings was the Nieuwe Kerk (New Church) in Haarlem, built between 1646 and 1649 according to the design by Jacob van Campen. Saenredam made several drawings and paintings of the church shortly after construction was completed. Based on the construction drawings made earlier, the painting includes certain architectural elements which featured in the plan but were never actually implemented.
The puritanical Protestant church interior is decorated only by the brass candelabra suspended from the ceiling and by the colourful coats of arms on the windows and ceiling.
The painting is signed and dated on the plinth of the right column: "P. Saenredam fecit. A°: 1653 8/16".
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