As usual, I made a list of all the UNESCO Sites that we could hit while on our spring break trip and there was one of the list that particularly intrigued me and became my favorite memory: The Flemish Béguinages. The Béguinages (also called Begijnhof in Dutch) are enclosed communities of a women called Béguines. This unique living style began in the 13th century for these unmarried or widowed women to entered into a life dedicated to God, but without retiring from the world. This was an extraordinary option in the Middle Ages when you pretty much had three choices: cloistered nun, mother/wife, or whore.
The Béguines were women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. In the 13th century they founded the béguinages , enclosed communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs. The Flemish béguinages are architectural ensembles composed of houses, churches, ancillary buildings and green spaces, with a layout of either urban or rural origin and built in styles specific to the Flemish cultural region. They are a fascinating reminder of the tradition of the Béguines that developed in north-western Europe in the Middle Ages.
Béguinage, Bruges
You can’t see it from any of these photos but one of the four nuns still living in Bruges was out picking daffodils in the meadow. It was like watch a scene from a movie unfold before our eyes. This was a literal slice of heaven. Now, I am a lover of medieval history and I had learned about these communities in my Medieval History course at college but I was not prepared for the utter beauty, other-worldliness, and peace enveloped in these walls. We visited a few different Béguinages while in Belgium and the Netherlands, but the Béguinage in Bruges is hands down the best.
Read more: Bruges: The city of beer, canals, & a beautiful beguinage
Old St Elizabeth Beguinage, Ghent & Our-Lady Ter Hooyen, Ghent
This one was not nearly as lovely and idyllic as our slice of heaven in Bruges, but the feeling in the courtyard and on these streets certainly feels different than the “outside” city. Maybe it only felt different because I knew the history of the place before I crossed the threshold?
Read more: Ghent: The city of Van Eyck, belfry, & french fries
Begijnhof, Amsterdam
Most of these doorways into a slice of heaven on earth are not marked so you will have to do some research and map reading to find these gems. Totally worth it though!
Note: this one is technically not on the UNESCO list because it is Dutch. But totally worth a visit!
JMF
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