Beguinages Mechelen

Beguinages Mechelen: I would like to take you on an exploration of The Beguinages of Mechelen. Many historical towns in Flanders possess a Beguinage, to name a few Antwerp, Turnhout, Leuven, Aarschot and Lier. Historians are convinced that the Beguinage of Lier, would be the oldest in Flanders, but this is unclear. Anyway, here we stick to the beautiful Great and Small Beguinage of our city of Mechelen.

Who were the Beguines?

Beguines were women who dedicated their lives to God, without withdrawing from worldly life; they were therefore not monastics. In the 13th century, they founded their own residential areas for this purpose, called beguinages. These formed walled communities that met their spiritual and material needs. The main difference with convents was that beguines did not take the eternal vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.

Beguines had to work for a living. They often obtained their income by doing laundry for others on a bleaching field, not to mention lace-making, which was one of the beguines’ main occupations from the seventeenth century onwards. The beguinage therefore played a vital role in Mechelen’s lace production. The last two beguines in Mechelen died of old age in the late 1980s.

Great Beguinage of Mechelen as World Heritage Site

Mechelen ‘s Great Beguinage was founded outside the city walls in the 13th century. Around 1560, the Beguinage outside the city walls was destroyed. Between 1595 and 1614, the beguines bought all the land between the Antwerp Gate and the Winket Bridge along the city walls and behind the row of houses on Sint-Katelijnestraat. The area was enclosed with a wall and two entrance gates.

From then on, the beguines moved to the inner city of Mechelen, where the Great Beguinage came into being. It grew into a veritable city under the impetus of Sophie Berthout, who gave the beguinage its first statutes in 1295.

They bought up existing properties and built new ones. A beguinage was basically a small town within a town with its own bakery, brewery, nursing home, church and, as written earlier, bleaching fields.

One such bleaching meadow at the Mechelen Beguinage can be found on Guido Gezellelaan, where we find a gate giving access to the Beguinage and its 17th-century penny wall.

In 1858, the Vuilgracht and Heergracht, two canals that crossed the Beguinage of Mechelen, were drained.In 1976, part of the beguinage (bounded by Guido Gezellelaan, Nonnenstraat, Krommestraat, Twelve Apostlesstraat and Schrijnstraat) was protected as a landscape, and in 1985, another part of the beguinage was protected as a townscape.

Small-Beguinage

The Small Beguinage originated in the 13th century, originally it was a closed court with three gates: one in the Heembeemd, which was demolished in 1798, two gates in the Kanunnik De Deckerstraat of which the one facing the Schoutetstraat was closed in 1798 and demolished in the second half of the 19th century. The monumental entrance gate on Klein Begijnhofstraat was built in 1730 and also demolished in 1798.

Today, the Klein Beg ijnhof still has a relatively closed character. The Klein Begijnhof street of the same name gives access to the Klein Begijnhof and Bogaard, an almost square little square, via two overbuilt round-arch gates (numbers 2 and 12-14).

The Mechelen city council is currently investing heavily in the revaluation of the“Klein Begijnhof-Heembeemd“. In 2015, the Klein-Begijnhof is a mix of 19th-century facades and new construction projects. A green zone in the Klein-Begijnhof is the garden of the Entrepreneurs’ House Oh!. The main entrance is on Heembeemd and Goswin de Stassartstraat. This city garden contains existing historical elements, garden walls and a small stream with a footpath.

Despite its revaluation, the Klein-begijnhof area remains a working-class neighbourhood, where living together today is still high on the ladder. The most notable event, like the Greater Beguinage, is the annual Rommelmarkt.

The Beguinage Church in the Great Beguinage

In 1629, the previously erected small chapel was replaced by a church, the Beguinage Church, which was provisionally finished with a wooden roof in 1637 and finally consecrated in 1647. The latest restoration of the Beguinage church started from 2005. The end of the restoration is not yet known, but will certainly take several more years.

The baroque-style church designed by Jesuit architects Pieter Huyssens and Jacob Franquart lends its grandiose appearance to the triumphant architectural style as a hallmark of the Catholic Reformation.

The interior finishing touches were further provided by the Mechelen sculptor and pupil of Rubens, Lucas Faydherbe, who together with Jan Van Der Steen and Boeckstuyns realised the sculptural work. The more than 80 paintings of which more than 50 now remain were the work of painters Cossiers, Verhoeven, Boeyermans and van Loon, to name but a few.

The church is open to the public every afternoon from 1-5pm (1 April – 31 October) or 1-4pm (1 November – 31 March).

Picturesque streets invite you to …

The small, picturesque and cosy streets of the beguinages exude tranquillity. A walk through the Great and Small Beguinage therefore feels fairy-tale-like. It is very pleasant to stay and live in the idyllic houses, which are protected monuments. Every now and then, houses become vacant in the Beguinage, which are increasingly coming into private ownership. Because of its appearance, the houses are in high demand, which has the disadvantage that rental and purchase prices are very expensive.

Opposite the Beguinage church is Krankestraatje, where the Beguinage hospital or Infirmary used to be, and today the only remaining brewery, Het Anker. In my opinion, Hoviusstraat reflects the true Beguinage look with its beautiful door frames, the round windows above the door and here and there a statue of a saint and the name of the former beguinage.

Also observe the beautiful Convent of the 10 Commandments founded in 1620 by Archbishop Mathias vanden Hove. In the Nonnenstraat, and I find this another typical piece of Beguinage, you can discover a beautiful courtyard accessible through a small gate. At the Jesus Gate, you can see a Gothic column under the gate as a witness to the remnants of the Hof van Fontes, which, when it was purchased in 1595, stretched up to the current church. The Jesus Gate is undoubtedly the most photographed building in the Great Beguinage.

A sculpture of the Last Supper and the twelve apostles can be seen in the Twelve Apostles Street of the same name . Like the Acht Zalighedenstraat, the street names indicate that there was once a convent(communal dwelling) of twelve or eight beguines here. Artists among us undoubtedly know painterAlbert Geudens (1869 – 1949), who stayed here for many years. The Cellebroeder convent on the Begijnhof churchyard, used to be inhabited by the Cellebroeders. After they moved to the Hof van Nassau, they ceded it to the Beguines.

Via Cellebroederstraat, Twelve Apostlesstraat, Sint Beggastraat and Begijnenkerkhof, we end up at the newly restored Cellebroeders monastery and end our walk along Moreelstraat in Sint-Katelijnestraat.

Artists and painters also regularly find their way to the impressive Beguinage. The Maurus Moreelshuis in Moreelstraat 3, for example, is a multifunctional space that offers visual artists, musicians and speakers the opportunity to organise independent exhibitions, concerts and lectures.

This refers to the Mechelen painter (and contemporary of P.P.Rubens), who lived and worked in this neighbourhood and whose most famous painting ‘The Adoration of the Wise Men’ can be viewed in the nearby St Catherine’s Church.

Art exhibitions, flea markets and an active association of the Friends of the Beguinage, have made the Beguinage a cosy neighbourhood. The annual Beguinage Flea Market in September, is one of the crowd-pullers in the city of Mechelen. Weather permitting, the narrow streets are pleasant and animated. A walk through the idyllic streets is highly recommended.

Practical info for a Beguinage walk

Thanks to its typically Flemish character and distinct architecture, the Great Beguinage has a spot on UNESCO’ s World Heritage List . The Great Beguinage is the largest in Flanders. An animated beguinage walk with a city guide can be booked via Visit Mechelen, the tourism office on Hallestraat ( near the Grote Markt ). If you want to explore the Beguinage at your own pace, you can do so with a city map.

A visit to the Beguinage is best started from the Grote Markt towards Sint-Katelijnestraat where you will have the Great Beguinage on your left and the Small Beguinage on your right. For photographers, don’t forget your camera, the Beguinage has plenty of sights and photogenic nooks and crannies that should definitely not be missing from your photo album.

Accessibility:

By car: Parking in the Beguinage is not possible. Nearest car park is Parking Keerdok. Alternative underground car park Cathedral at the beginning of Sint-Katelijnestraat.
By public transport: Bus stop Guido Gezellelaan bus 6 from Monday to Friday.

Share your experience and suggestions about Beguinages!

Have you recently discovered the Beguinages of Mechelen? We would love to hear about your adventures and recommendations! Your insights help us keep our tourism page up-to-date and improve it. Whether you have discovered a hidden gem, or have tips for other travellers, your feedback is invaluable. Share your experiences and suggestions with verschueren.eddy@gmail.com and help others make the most of their visit to this beautiful heritage. Together we will create the ultimate guide to Mechelen!