Category: On My Route of Beguinages

Unfortunately, most of the information boards in the beguinage are just in Flemish so I could’nt understand so much. But what I understood is for example the following:

The first beguines lived around 1225 in Bruges. Characteristics of the beguinage were: community of women, solidarity and care, entrepreneurial activity in textile craft, economic independence, religion and spirituality and – as already mentioned – silence. Moreover, every beguine had her own little house. The community had a “grootjuffrouw” – she was the “head” of the beguines.

There was also to read that the beguines, their way of life and their own jurisdiction were viewed with suspicion by authorities because they exuded big independence. Therefore, they fall under the control of the religious and wordly authorities. Nevertheless, we can speak of an emancipatory movement.

In the guided tour I learned that no man was allowed to come into the beguinage so that the women are protected. Furthermore, there is a boundary stone between the beguinage and the city for delimitation. An important point is that beguines weren’t nuns – they were religious persons but organized outside the church institution.

Very typical for the beguinage in Bruges is the water moat in front of the surrounding wall. So you can just enter when you walk over a bridge.

A similarity to the beguinage in Antwerp is that there are some signs which ask the visitors to be quiet. Also like in Antwerp there is often a wall with an additional door in front of the houses. But in difference to Antwerp some houses hadn’t a wall but a hedge in front. Another similarity is that above some of these doors there are statues of Mary and of saints. But while the houses of the beguines in Antwerp are brown, many houses in Bruges are painted white. A difference is also that in Antwerp there was a little park in the middle, while in Bruges there was “just” a big meadow with trees and a church in the middle.

What I liked very much in the beguinage of Bruges is the very small inner courtyard between two houses – because there are interesting information boards:

Tine De Moor said: “The beguinages may have offered women in the low countries safety and security in the case they chose  to remain single.” This quote shows that women could feel safe (in the beguinages) although they did’nt marry.

 

Walter Simons said: “Beguinages indeed proved to be powerful devices to attract young women from the countryside eager to make a living in the city but in need of support and protection, as medieval cities were dangerous places for them.” Also the quote of Walter Simons addresses the safety aspect.

Georges Rodenbach said: “Si vide, si muette, d’un silence contagieux qu’on y marche doucement, qu’on y parle bas, comme dans un domaine où il y a un malade.” (engl.: “So empty, so mute, so contagiously silent that you walk softly and speak softly, as if in a domain where there’s a sick person.”) Interesting is here that Rodenbach also thematised the silence and calm.

 

 

Of all beguinages I visited the beguinage of Antwerp felt most like an oasis: In the middle of this beguinage there is a little park with a big meadow, many old trees and many statues of saints. The park is surrounded by a hedge and has a gate as an entrance. I really enjoyed walking through the park because of the old, green trees, the warm sun shining on my face and the twittering of the birds.

A sign at the entrance to the park explains that it is “a retreat for silence, meditation and prayer”. So each visitor should “respect this atmosphere of calm”. Another sign draws attention to the rule that visitors are requested not to be loud. In fact, there were many people sitting on benches or lying on the grass just to relax and enjoy the sun.

The park is surrounded by the old houses of the beguines. All houses have a wall with a door in front – so that the beguines could probably feel safer. That means: To get inside there are both the door of the wall and the door of the house to enter.

The whole beguinage as itself is also surrounded by an additional wall with a gate. So the importance of the security aspect was very perceptible.

In the church of the beguinage there are 14 pictures showing the 14 stations of Jesus’ Way of the Cross. Besides, there are many holy figures. The strong religiosity of the beguines I could see at the doors in the of their houses also: On nearly each door there is the name of a saint (female and male saints). For example I saw the names St. Ignatius, St. Rosalia, St. Franciscus, St. Martha, St. Josef, St. Ludovicus, St. Mattheus, St. Gudula, St. Johanna, St. Lucas, St. Magdalena, St. Anna and many, many more.

The beguinage has still inhabitants: A sign at the entrance makes clear that male persons are requested not to visit the inhabitants after 6 pm. For me, this rule was a bit surprising because I couldn’t imagine that male persons are still “not that welcome” in this (historic) place. But this rule is an example that original understandings are still practiced and still alive.

So very characteristic for the beguinage were the big surrounding wall, the walls in front of the houses, the names of saints on the doors, the green park in the middle and the church.

To sum up I’d like to say that this beguinage with its little park, its old trees and its twittering of birds was so idyllic that I instantly knew that it will be one of my favourite ones although it was the first beguinage I had ever seen at that time.

Follow Salome Limberger as she goes on a journey through Flemish Belgium and the Netherlands to discover the history, culture and socio-cultural significance of beguinages, residential communities in which unmarried and widowed women lived in the Middle Ages!