Beguinages

Beguinage - Ghent There are three Beguinage: the old Beguinage St. Elizabeth called holy corner (Holy Corner), Beguinage great suburb of Gent Sint - Amandsberg, which is also the patron of St. Elizabeth Beguinage and Our Lady Ter Hoyen Lange Violettenstraat (called small Beguinage). Beguinage St. Elizabeth bears the name of Elizabeth of Hungary, also called St. Elizabeth of Thuringia.

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

In the year 1862 Beguinage bought this German prince Arenberg. After World War I he was forced to sell as Germany begianżu. The 1924 the right to Beguinage pass into private hands.

After World War II, a slow destruction of the Beguinage. Only enter it on the list of monuments in 1963, the decree of the king inhibits this process. Since 1990 to place work to restore beginażowi former glory. We must admit that it goes in the right direction because Beguinage is doing really great impression.

5 1998 December year Beguinage has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In September, 2004 the last beginka, Hermina Hoogewijs, due to the state of health was transferred to the monastery in Wetteren. With the departure of her life in the Beguinage expired. Today, homes are rented or leased.

Beguinage, fot. PM

The Beguinage is 90 houses, church chapel, clinic, home superior Beguines and seven conventions. The entire Beguinage is surrounded by a brick wall and has a common entrance gate. Here there are also internal walls that enclose the homes of alleys. Behind these walls are located in the charming little gardens.

Wealthy beginki able to live in houses that after their death the property passed to the Beguinage. Sometimes they were aided by the maid. In seven conventions situated around a courtyard inhabited by poorer beginki. Most of the monasteries were built in the seventeenth century, in the Gothic style. They had a shared kitchen, dining room, office space. Each bedroom had its beginka.
Beginki order to keep wyszywały lace, repaired the garments. In the 1793 year they sewed shirts for the French army. Some of them taught.

Beguinage, fot. PM

In 1657 translated Beguines Philipotte Dysembaert decided to demolish the old church and build a brand new, in the Renaissance style. However, 1660, the work was halted. Only in the 1710 the command superior Francoise van Hoorebeke resumed work. This time the church was to be built in the Baroque style.
On the facade above the main entrance to the church is a statue of the Virgin and Child. On the sides of the figure of St. Aya and St. Godelieve. On top of the cartouche with the date 1720 year. Inside the large polyptych, who painted Lucas Horenbault in 1596 of the year.

Chapel in the infirmary to perform its role since the mid-sixteenth century. Here was a relic of the Holy Blood. Godelieve. The 1659, the pastor Rahus de Scheemaecker and superior Beguines Philipotte Dysembaert gave impetus to start the cult of St. Godelieve. The relic of the blood was replaced with a relic of the skull. The cult has become so strong that the chapel was named after St. Godelieve. Due to the increased influx of the faithful in 1725, the chapel was enlarged. It has become a popular place of pilgrimage for people with eye ailments and throat. At the end of the eighteenth century chapel he received a present shape. Beguinage, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Church of the Beguinage, fot. PM

The chapel in the garden of the Beguinage, fot. PM

Chapel in the Beguinage, fot. PM

Chapel St. Godelieve in Beguinage, fot. PM

Address

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

Opening hours:

Monday - Sunday: 6.30 - 22.00

Ticket price:

Free entrance

Old Beguinage St. Elizabeth - was built in the 1234 year, and soon took the name of its patron saint, St. Elizabeth, canonized in 1236. Beguinage has its own church, the house superior Beguines, infirmary (sick room) with its own chapel, 18 conventions, laundry (for Beguines, who washed their rich residents of Ghent) and a large orchard.
During the French Revolution took over Ghent Beguinage like other places connected, even slightly, from the church. This place, previously used only by beginki, the city during the industrial revolution have tried to use as bedrooms for arriving to the city of cheap labor. The conflict between the administration of the city, dominated by the liberal party, and beginkami grew. Some of them have moved to the Beguinage of Our Lady Ter Hoyen (the small). Thanks to the financial support he gave Prince Arenberg (also known as Prinz von Recklinghausen) within two years (1872 - 1874) in Sint- Amandoberg, near Ghent, built a new Beguinage. Day 29 1874 September he had moved there about 600 Beguines.

Old Beguinage, fot. PM

Po odejściu beginek miejsce to stało się obszarem zamieszkałym przez społeczność Gandawy. Było mniej inwestycji w infrastrukturę. Zakątek ten zaczął tracić swój niepowtarzalny charakter. Jednak w XX wieku miasto, oraz prywatne osoby, pod naciskiem głosów żądających zachowania tego wyjątkowego miejsca, zaczęły inwestować w odbudowę budynków po dawnym beginażu. Miejsce zaczęło stawać się popularne. Przy ulicy Van Aken 7, na przestrzeni lat, mieszkali znani artyści, np.: Constant Permeke, Albert Servaes, czy Frist van den Berghe.

W języku angielskim zakątek ten nazywany jest Holy Corner ( święty narożnik ). Nazwa ta pochodzi od tego, iż w pewnym momencie w tym miejscu znajdowały się cztery kościoły: rzymskokatolicki św. Elżbiety, będący pierwotnie kościołem beginażu, cerkiew św. Andrzeja, protestancki Rabotkekr, oraz kościół anglikański św. Jana.

Pierwszy kamienny dom modlitwy zbudowano w beginażu św. Elżbiety w stylu gotyku skaldyjskiego. W XVII wieku miały miejsce dwie przebudowy, które dały kościołowi obecny kształt. Pierwsza w latach 1630 - 1640 zarządzona przez przełożoną beginek Joannę Bauters, a druga z 1682 roku to dzieło przełożonej Ferdynandy De Bock. W wyniku tego powstał kościół pseudohalowy (kościół wielonawowy, w którym nawy boczne są nieco niższe od nawy głównej).

The Church of St. Elizabeth, fot. PM

Old Beguinage, fot. PM

Moving to a new Beguinage in 1874 year, beginki took with them the equipment of the church. However, left baroque sculptures adorning the stone columns, and from the seventeenth century 15 secrets in grisaille (monochrome painting technique, and images obtained with this technique, giving the illusion of three-dimensionality). One of the side altars contain the seventeenth picture of Charles Remes'a showing the Dominican St. Dominic Guzman. He was responsible for the religious and spiritual life of Beguines in the Beguinage St. Elizabeth. In the main altar, and specifically in its upper part, we can see a reference to the patron saint of the Beguinage St. Elizabeth of Thuringia.

Today Beguinage is devoid of walls separating it from the rest of the city. You have to walk a bit to get an idea of its location. But after a while walking, when we pass the old streets, with many historic houses Beguines begin to feel its unique atmosphere.

Old Beguinage St. Elizabeth, fot. PM

Address

Begijnhofdries, 9000 Gent
http://elisabethbegijnhof.be/nl/historiek/begijnhofkerk

Groot Begijnhof Sint-Elisabeth te Sint-Amandsberg ( Wielki beginaż św. Elżbiety) - 29 września 1873 roku położono pierwszy kamień pod budowę kościoła. W rok później, 29 września odbyła się wielka uroczystość poświęcona przenosinom beginek do nowego beginażu ( zwanego wielkim ), w miejscowości Sint - Amandsberg. Beginaż ten jest dziełem architekta Arthura Verhaegena. Kościół zaś zaprojektował Jean - Babtiste Bethune. Wystrój beginażu w stylu neogotyckim ma przypominać obraz średniowiecznego miasta.

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

The minimum age, which entitle to join the congregation is 16 years. The novice received superior, who introduced it in life Beguinage, teaching her the spirit of prayer, charity, humility, and mortification. After at least a year, a novice could ask for permission to kleedsel. During the ceremony, in his monastery, he receives robes beginki. It was not until six months later could be declared beginką, decisive sentence was postponed here Beguines, De Groot. Steedsel, it gave her the right to live in the congregation as a full beginka. 1930 the number of Beguines steadily decreasing. Last beginka, Alice Maenhout, resided for some time in a nursing home and died there on August 25 2003 year. Beguinage is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Address

Groot Begijnhof 67
9040 Sint-Amandsberg (Gent)
http://www.grootbegijnhof.be/

Opening hours:

Monday - Sunday: 6.30 - 21.30

Ticket price:

Free entrance