Beguinage

Begijnhof in Amsterdam

A beguinage ( ndl : begijnhof , fr . : béguinage ) is the typical residential complex of the beguines , which occurs mainly in Belgian Flanders and the Netherlands .

description

Entrance to the Beguinage in Bruges

Groot Begijnhof Sint-Amandsberg in Ghent

A beguinage is located in a city and usually consists of an architectural ensemble grouped around an inner courtyard, consisting of small residential houses for the beguines, a chapel , outbuildings and often a larger house for the beguinage as well as a meeting room. The inner courtyard is often designed as an idyllic utility and ornamental garden or green area. The complex is clearly separated from the rest of the city by walls or moats. In the gables of the beguinage there are often religious sayings, images of saints or Mary, or the names of the patron saints of the residents.

Since there are no more beguines these days, the courtyards are also inhabited by older people, artists and students. The small houses have usually been restored and renovated for this purpose. The Beguinage in Bruges now serves as a monastery for a community of Benedictine women .

From the previous 80 systems in the historic Netherlands, around 30 are still preserved. Most of the beguinages are located in Belgium and are picturesque and worth seeing because of their age, the tranquility and the simple, harmonious architecture. In the Netherlands there are still four systems in Amsterdam , Delft , Haarlem and Breda . The beguinage in Amsterdam, built from 1346 onwards, comprises 47 residential houses grouped around an inner courtyard, most of which date from the 18th century. It is a rebuilding after a fire. The house with number 34 from 1530 has long been considered the oldest wooden house in Amsterdam. Until 1971 the beguinage in Amsterdam was inhabited by beguines. In France there was a beguinage in Valenciennes , now only in Cambrai . In Germany, the Beguinage in Essen is known.

On April 14, 2013, the Belgian Marcella Pattyn, the last beguines, died in Kortrijk, West Flanders , ending an 800-year-old tradition of pious women who lived all over Europe between the worlds of religious life and laity.