Adrianus Cyriacus Bleijs came into the world in Hoorn on March 29, 1842, the son of Johanna Krijgsman (1818-1885) and Johannis Bleijs (1816-1888), who as a master carpenter built a number of houses in Hoorn. Adrianus was born in the house of his grandfather Jan Krijgsman and on the same day he was baptized in a chapel. His name Cyriacus refers to the Roman martyr who was venerated in his hometown. He was trained theoretically and practically in the architectural profession by architect B. Blanken and engineer H. Linse, for whom he worked as superintendent in the construction of the Gasworks in Hoorn in 1857. On November 17, 1859, he left for Roermond to work in the studio of P.J.H. Cuypers for two years. When a quarrel broke out between Cuypers and his sculptors, Bleijs sided with them. Cuypers demanded that Bleijs, like the sculptors, apologize. Thus happened to him what had already happened to other apprentice architects in Cuypers' studio before; he was sent away and, as a result, according to Brom, had 'worked too briefly to be called Cuypers' apprentice'. About the spirited Bleijs, Cuypers wrote: 'I am especially sorry for that young North Hollander M.[ijnheer] Bleijs van Hoorn he promised much but is now lost. Tomorrow he leaves for Antwerp - His father has been here today, but he could not persuade the son to ask my forgiveness'. Because he was the only son (and only child) he was exempted from military service in 1861. Like Cuypers, he went, in 1861, to study at the Académie Royale des Beaux Arts in Antwerp, where his teachers included architect P. Dens. Bleijs received the first Prix d'Exellence for architecture at the end of his studies. His classicist training is evident in the 1862 competition design, issued by the Maatschappij tot Bevordering der Bouwkunst, for "A building for the exhibition of painting, building, sculpture, engraving and other works of visual art. For his entry, Bleijs received first prize in 1865. On July 12, 1864, he returned to the Netherlands and established his own office in Hoorn. He went to live with his parents, who moved after his marriage on Nov. 17, 1867, to 23-year-old Brigitta Maria Witte. In Hoorn, in addition to several residential and commercial houses and schools, he designed a number of Catholic churches, including the St. Cyril's Church (1879), which can be considered a kind of preliminary study of the Amsterdam St. Nicholas Church. Bleijs and his wife had ten children between 1868 and 1879, seven boys and three girls. The family continued to live in the building until 1880, until they moved to Amsterdam on June 28 and Bleijs established an office there. From the moment Bleijs had moved his office to Amsterdam, he was soon inundated with commissions. He built himself and his family a large residence with office on the Haarlemmer Houttuinen, from which he worked on building commissions beginning in 1882. He provided his designs for stores, churches and schools with Romanesque, Renaissance or Baroque stylistic features. Some fellow architects expressed appreciation for his eclecticism, as the modern counterpart to the dogmatic neo-Gothicism of Cuypers cum suis. The Nicolaaskerk, built on Prins-Hendrikkade, can be considered innovative because of its mixture of Renaissance and Baroque elements. Bleijs had won the competition held for it, and W. Kromhout, a student of Bleijs at the time, collaborated on the construction drawings. The urban location on the Open Harbour Front and opposite the new Central Station was praised. Moreover, the church was aligned with the old Nicolaaskerk and the Onze Lieve Heer op Zolder shelter church. However, Bleijs was also criticized for his design because of poor detailing and the odd placement of the towers. Here his temperamental nature asserted itself again; Bleijs wrote a spiteful retort in the magazine Architectura. Architect A.W. Weissman finally expressed the hope that the church would pass the "test of ages" brilliantly. After the Nicolaaskerk, Bleijs designed such major projects as the Sint Elisabethsgesticht (1888-1890) and the Onze Lieve Vrouwengasthuis (1895-1898) in Amsterdam. Bleijs was active in several associations. In 1887 he had become second secretary of the board of the society Architectura et Amicitia, after which he became vice chairman. He resigned in 1890, only to become a member of the main board of the Maatschappij tot Bevordering der Bouwkunst six years later. This he remained until 1902. He was also a member of the board of Arti et Amicitiae. Outside the world of architecture he was also active; from 1899 to 1901 he was a member of the Amsterdam city council, dealing mainly with public works. When Bleijs stopped receiving commissions after 1900, he decided to retire as an architect. In 1903, he had his entire office archive auctioned off. In the Verkooplokaal of H.G. Bom in the Warmoesstraat in Amsterdam, the public auction took place on Friday and Saturday, February 20 and 21, at 6:30 p.m., of 'a highly remarkable collection of drawings' of Roman Catholic churches, institutions and schools, and of private buildings in Amsterdam and Hoorn and in places in North and South Holland. Rolls of watercolors, pen drawings and calques of 99 different projects were auctioned. In addition, various objects from the drawing room went under the hammer: furniture, drawing supplies, instruments, sculptures, guild proofs and tiles. Bleijs died, after a long illness, on January 12, 1912 in Kerkdriel. The funeral service took place in the Nicolaaskerk and he was buried in the cemetery De Liefde, opposite his Vincentius school. Later the graves were moved to the Saint Barbara cemetery, a design of his hand. Bleijs, A.C., "The excursion," The Remarker 21 (1886) 36, 289. Bleijs, A.C., Submitted. 'Once more the excursion', The Remarker 21 (1886) 38, 305. Bock, M., Anfänge einer neuen Architektur, 's-Gravenhage/Wiesbaden 1983. Brom, G., Revival of church art in Catholic Holland, Leiden 1933. Kooy, T. van der Een feestalbum voor A.C. Bleijs, 25 jaar bouwmeester, unpublished doctoral thesis Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1986. Krabbe, C.P., 'The art above all. Over architect A.C. Bleijs en de St.-Cyriacuskerk te Hoorn', De Sluitsteen 3 (1987) 2, 3-15 Krabbe, C.P., Craft, art, science. The promotion of architecture in the Netherlands (1775-1880), Zwolle 1998. Rosenberg, H.P.R., The 19th-century church architecture in the Netherlands, The Hague 1972. Sint Nicolaaskerk Amsterdam, Amstelveen 1987. Stuyt, J., 'In memoriam A.C. Bleijs', Architectura 20 (1912) 26-27. Weissman, A.W., 'A..C. Bleijs', Bouwkundig Weekblad 32 (1912) 29. Woud, A. van der, Truth and character. The debate on architecture 1840-1900, Rotterdam 1997.