Beguinages

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Beguinages

There are three beguinages in Ghent: the old Beguinage of St. Elizabeth, known as the Holy Corner, the great Beguinage in the suburbs of Ghent, Sint-Amandsberg, whose patron is Saint Elizabeth too, and the beguinage Blessed Virgin of Ter Hoyen in Lange Violettenstraat (called the Little Beguinage). Beguinage St. Elizabeth is named after Elizabeth of Hungary, also known as Saint Elizabeth from Thuringia.

Klein Begijnhof Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Hoyen (Little Beguinage) was created in 1235 year. It is one of the best preserved beguinage. It has survived many threats in 700 years. In the 1566 year of the iconoclasts, then the Calvinists in Ghent, and the French Revolution. The seventeenth century is a period of incredible bloom of the Beguinage. Unfortunately, in the eighteenth century, due to a lack of funds, the situation of the Beguinage began to gradually deteriorate.

In the year 1862 this beguinage was bought by the German prince Arenberg. After the First World War, he was forced to sell beguinage as a German. In the 1924 year, the rights to the Beguinage are transferred into private hands.

After the Second World War, the Beguinage was slowly being destroyed. Only entering it on the list of monuments in the 1963 year with the King's decree stops this process. Since 1990, works have been carried out to restore the former splendor to the beguinage. It must be admitted that this is going in the right direction, because the Beguinage is really impressive.

On 5 December 1998 the Beguinage was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. In September 2004, the last beguine, Hermina Hoogewijs, was transferred to the monastery in Wetteren for health reasons. With her departure, life in the Beguinage has expired. Nowadays, houses are rented or leased.

Beguinage, fot. PM

In the Beguinage there are 90 houses, a church, a chapel, an infirmary, a home of the chief beguines and seven convents. The whole beguinage is surrounded by a brick wall and has a common entrance gate. There are also internal walls, which separate houses from alley. Behind these walls there are charming little gardens.

Wealthy beguines could live in houses that, after their deaths, became the property of the Beguinage. Sometimes they were helped by a maid. The seven convents located around the courtyard were inhabited by poorer beguines. Most of the convents were built in the 17th century, in the Gothic style. They had a shared kitchen, dining room, office rooms. Each beguines had its own bedroom.
Beguines to keep up, sew up lace, repair clothing. In the 1793 year, shirts for the French army were made. Some of beguines taught.

Beguinage, fot. PM

Chapel of St. Godelieve.

Church of the Beguinage, fot. PM

Beguinage, fot. PM

In the year 1657, the chief of the beguines Philipotte Dysembaert decided to demolish the old church and build a completely new one, in the Renaissance style. However, in the 1660 year, the work was stopped. It was not until 1710 year that the work resumed at the command of Francoise van Hoorebeke. This time the church was to be built in the Baroque style.
On the facade, above the main entrance to the church, there is a statue of Mother and Child. On the sides of the figure of Saint Aya and Saint Godelieve. Cartouche at the top with date 1720 year. Inside a large polyptych painted by Lucas Horenbault in 1596 year.

The chapel in the infirmery had its function from the mid-sixteenth century. There was a relic here with the blood of St. Godelieve. In the 1659 year, the parish priest Rahus de Scheemaecker and the superior of the beguines Philipotte Dysembaert gave the impulse to begin the cult of Saint Godelieve. The relic with blood was replaced with a relic of a part of the skull. The cult became so strong that the chapel was named after Saint Godelieve. Due to the increased influx of believers, in the 1725 year, the chapel was enlarged. It has become a popular pilgrimage site for people with eye and throat ailments. At the end of the eighteenth century, the chapel received its present shape. Beguinage was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Address:

Lange Violettestraat 235, 9000 Gent
http://kleinbegijnhof-gent.wix.com/home

Opening hours:

monday-sunday: 6.30-22.00

Ticket price:

Free entrance

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Old Beguinage of St. Elizabeth

it was built in 1234 year, and soon took on the name of its patron, Saint Elizabeth, canonized in the year 1236. Beguinage has its own church, home of the head of the beguines, infirmary (sick room) with its own chapel, 18 convents, laundry (for beguines, which were washing clothes for the wealthy inhabitants of Ghent) and a large orchard.

During the French Revolution, Ghent took over the Beguinage, just like other places connected, even lightly, with the church. This place, previously used only by beguines, during the industrial revolution, the city tried to use as a bedroom for a cheap labor force coming to the city. The conflict between the city administration, dominated by the liberal party and the beguines grew. Some of them moved to the Beguinage of Our Lady Ter Hoyen (called the Little One). Thanks to the financial support provided by Prince Arenberg (also known as Prinz von Recklinghausen) in two years (1872-1874) in Sint-Amandoberg, near Ghent, a new Beguinage was built. On 29 September 1874 year, about 600 beguines moved there.

Old Beguinage, fot. PM

After the departure of the beguines, this place became an area inhabited by the Ghent community. There was less investment in infrastructure. This corner began to lose its unique character. However, in the twentieth century, the city and private people, under the pressure of the voices demanding the preservation of this unique place, began to invest in the reconstruction of buildings after the old Beguinage. The place began to become popular. At Van Aken Street 7, over the years, well-known artists lived, for example: Constant Permeke, Albert Servaes, or Frist van den Berghe.

In English, this corner is called Holy Corner. This name comes from the fact that at one point there were four churches: Roman Catholic St. Elizabeth, originally a church of the Beguinage, the church of Saint Andrew, Protestant Rabotkerk, and the Anglican Church of St. John.

The first stone house of prayer was built in the Beguinage of St. Elisabeth in the Skaldian Gothic style. In the 17th century, two reconstructions took place, which gave the church its present shape. The first in 1630-1640, ordered by the superior of beguines, Joanna Bauters, and the second from 1682 year is the work of the superior Ferdinand De Bock. As a result, a pseudohaling church was created (a multi-nave church, where the side naves are slightly lower than the nave).

The Church of St. Elizabeth, photo PM

Old Beguinage, fot. PM

Moving to the new Beguinage, in 1874 year, beguines took with them the furnishings of the church. However, they left Baroque sculptures adorning stone columns, and 17th century 15 secrets in grisaille (monochromatic painting technique, and images obtained using this technique, giving the illusion of three-dimensionality). One of the side altars contains a 17th-century painting by Charles Remes depicting the Dominican friar St. Dominic Guzman. He was responsible for the religious and spiritual life of beguines in the Beguinage of St. Elizabeth. In the main altar, and precisely in its upper part, we can see a reference to the patron saint of the Beguinage, Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia.

Today, the beguinage is without any walls separating it from the rest of the city. You have to walk a bit to get an idea of its location. However, after a moment of walking, when we pass the old streets, with many antique houses of beguines, we begin to feel its unique atmosphere.

Old Beguinage St. Elizabeth, fot. PM

Address:

Begijnhofdries, 9000 Gent

Groot Begijnhof Sint-Elisabeth te Sint-Amandsberg (The Great Beguinage of St. Elizabeth) - On 29 September 1873, the first stone for the construction of the church was laid. A year later, on 29 September there was a great ceremony dedicated to moving the beguines to a new Beguinage (called the great) in Sint-Amandsberg. Beguinage is the work of architect Arthur Verhaegen. The church was designed by Jean-Babtiste Bethune. The décor of the Beguinage style in the neo-Gothic style is reminiscent of the image of a medieval city.

Great Beguinage St. Elizabeth, fot. https://stad.gent/cultuur

The minimum age allowed to join the congregation was 16 years. The novice received the superior who introduced her into the life of the Beguinage, teaching her the spirit of prayer, love, humility and mortification. After at least a year, the novice could ask for permission for kleedsel. During the ceremony, in her monastery, she received beguine's robes. It was not until six months later that she could be proclaimed a beguine. The decisive phrase was taken by the beguines superior, De Groot. Steedsel, gave her the right to live in a congregation as a full-fledged beguine. The number of beguines has been systematically decreasing since 1930 year. The last beguine, Alice Maenhout, stayed in a nursing home for some time and died there on 25 August 2003. Beguinage is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Address:

Groot Begijnhof 67
9040 Sint-Amandsberg (Gent)

Opening hours:

monday-sunday:
6.30-21.30

Ticket price:

Free entrance