The history of Amsterdam as an ancient place of pilgrimage dates to the Middle Ages. In the 13th or 14th centuries, Amsterdam was a small settlement at the mouth of the river Amstel. It was also called Miracle City, and it owes that name to the Miracle of the Holy Sacrament. The story dates from March 13th, 1345, when a dying man was given the Sacrament of the Sick in his house on Kalverstraat.
