Protestant political primacy led to prohibitions being placed on public Catholic worship in the United Provinces. The Zoudenbalchs, as one of the principal remaining Catholic families of Utrecht, therefore discreetly allowed their gothic palace in the Donkerstraat to be used to celebrate masses. The passionately Catholic Walravina Zoudenbalch, who became the mistress of the palace after the death of her brothers in 1599, felt this to be a holy duty. When these secret masses became public in 1605, Protestants incensed at the sacrilege crowds rioted outside the palace. The city government of Utrecht therefore deemed it wise to forbid the Zoudenbalchs to continue these masses.