Bruges Beguinage
| Bruges Beguinage | |
|---|---|
UNESCO world heritage 
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| National territory: |
 Belgium
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| Type: | Culture |
| Criteria : | |
| Reference No .: | 855 |
| UNESCO region : | Europe and North America |
| History of enrollment | |
| Enrollment: | 1998 (session 22) |
The beguinage in Bruges is one of 26 remaining Flemish beguinages . It is located in the old city center of the Belgian city of Bruges on the Minnewater and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site .
history
The beguinage was founded in 1230 by a donation from Johanna , Countess of Flanders and Hainaut. The nearby Minnewater (love lake) served the community as a harbor.
With the permission of the Bishop of Tournai , Walter de Marvis, a separate parish was founded outside the city walls and a church was built in 1244 . In 1245 an infirmary was built. The removal from the jurisdiction of Bruges in 1299 by the French King Philip the Fair led to the independence of the Beguinage. The complex was named Prinselijk Begijnhof Ten Wijngaarde (Princely Beguinage to the Vineyard).
With the construction of a second city wall, the beguinage was located within the city walls of Bruges from 1297. The beguinage first flourished in the course of the 15th century when it ran its own farm, brewery and accepted single women from wealthy families for a fee.
One of the traditional larger events was the wedding of Mary of Burgundy and Maximilian I of Austria in 1477. In 1584 a fire ravaged the church. It was rebuilt until 1605. The community's properties increased in the first quarter of the 17th century and the principles of living together were adapted to the new era. Unlike in other parts of Flanders, there was a ban on newcomers, but the beguines in Bruges were not evicted.
At the end of the 18th century, the beguinage became a non-profit organization and the hospital wards were assigned to a secular board. From the 19th century onwards, there were fewer women joining the community. The few beguines living on the site began renting vacant houses. In 1905 there were still seven beguines living on the farm.
During the First World War , the Bruges beguinage was used as accommodation for refugee beguines and seminarians . After the First World War, a planned use for secular purposes initially threatened community life. After various initiatives to save the Beguine's idea and the fruitless attempt to get women into the community, the last of the Beguines died in 1930. In 1934, the non-profit organization Friends of the Beguinage of Bruges leased the site and has been responsible for the maintenance and restoration of the buildings and the site ever since. A museum opened in the building at number 1. From 1937 to 1939 new buildings were built on the west side of the site based on designs by the architect Luc Viérin (Bruges), and several older houses were given walled front gardens. During the liberation of Bruges at the end of the Second World War , the church and the monastery were badly damaged.
In use since 1962
In 1962 Benedictine nuns moved into the monastery, and in 1972 the city of Bruges took over the farm. Extensive renovations were carried out in the following years, which were completed in 2002. The site has been protected as a monument since 1996, and in 1998 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Despite its use as a monastery by the Benedictine nuns, the majority of the courtyard is open to the public at certain times and is one of the most important tourist attractions in the city of Bruges. The monastery houses a collection of paintings donated by Jeanne de Man in 1959. It consists of 35 paintings with 20 family portraits from the years 1560 to 1725 as well as six cityscapes of Bruges.
The Beguinage Museum with the small cloister, which was created in the Flemish style after the conversion to a monastery, is dedicated to the life of the beguines.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Beguinages in Belgium Regional Studies . Accessed January 21, 2020.
- ^ Begijnhof at Inventory Vlaanderen (Dutch). Accessed January 21, 2020.
- ↑ Experience the beguinage near Bruges . Retrieved January 22, 2020.
- ↑ SWR film Beguinages in Flanders. From minute 9:50. Retrieved January 22, 2020