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Ámsterdam Begijnhof
Amidst the hustle and bustle of a city like Amsterdam, occupied by countless tourists and cyclists who seem to be struggling to carve out a niche for themselves among the narrow sidewalks that line the canals, there is the Amsterdam Begijnhof. It is a beguine courtyard, with several private houses, which has become a haven of peace that goes unnoticed in the eyes of those who do not go specifically looking for it.
The beguine or beguinage communities were associations of women who felt unprotected due to the lack of parents, husbands or children who went to war, a journey from which many of them would not return, therefore leaving their women alone at one time in which it was not well seen that women lived alone and they could be excluded from society.
These women were religious but lay, they were not subject to papal discipline, arising spontaneously in different parts of Europe, especially in Belgium (Bruges, Ghent, Mechelen, Antwerp, Liege, Leuven, Dendermonde ...) and in the Countries Basses (Amsterdam, Breda or the now defunct beguinary of Utrecht, among others).
Its occupants were dedicated to helping the poor and sick in hospitals, living on charity or the profits obtained from the sale of handicrafts made by the Beguines themselves such as tapestries, lace and the famous Flemish cloths, so highly valued in medieval Europe.
Unlike a traditional nunnery, beguines enjoyed certain freedoms, such as the preservation of their properties, without having to donate them to the Church at the time of entering the beguinage. They were also free to leave the community without suffering any type of punishment, such as the dreaded excommunication. The beguine could leave the place if she started a new relationship or if she found the person who had led her to join the beguinary.
Amsterdam Beguinary
The Amsterdam beguinary, or begijnhof in Dutch, was founded in 1346, although the current appearance dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries, when most of the houses were built, except for the one found in number 34, the first house on the left entering the beguinario through the entrance to Plaza Spui. The one known as Het Houten Huys, “the wooden house” in Dutch, shows us its black wooden facade with white windows. It is the oldest non-religious building in the city. Its original structure dates from 1420 although next to the door we can see an inscription from 1528, when it was given its current appearance. It is one of the only two wooden houses left standing in Amsterdam since the constant fires led the local government to ban in 1521 the construction of houses of this type.
Just three houses to your right, houses with numbers 29 and 30 have been restored as an underground Catholic chapel. The works ended in 1680 and it became a meeting point for both the Beguines and the rest of the Catholics in the city. The Protestant reform forced the Beguines to enable these houses as a Catholic chapel since the chapel where they celebrated Mass, just in front of the houses, was converted into a Calvinist church in 1578, later becoming a Protestant chapel and finally giving way to the Presbyterians. , thus receiving its current name: Engelese Kerk or "English Church". This church stands out, like the rest of Presbyterian churches, for its simple decoration.
The legend
One of the beguinary sisters, Cornelia Arens, asked shortly before her death to be buried in the beguinary's garden, not wanting to respect the tradition of being buried in the chapel itself since she said that it had been desecrated by the Presbyterians. Finally, her wishes were ignored, and she was buried in the chapel. Since then, it was said that his soul wandered through the gardens of the beguinary since his body could not find peace in his grave. This happened every night until they decided to fulfill their wishes and buried Sister Cornelia's body in the garden itself, thus finding her soul at peace.
According to another version of the legend, each morning her coffin could be found in the center of the garden, as if indicating the place where she wanted to be buried. Finally, the coffin was removed from the chapel and buried in the garden.
Nowadays
The beguinary continues to maintain a function similar to the original, and nowadays only women, singles, widows or students can live there. They comprise a small community of about 140 women.
Although the Begijnhof is open to the public, the private nature of the homes must be remembered, so the visitor is requested to maintain silence and respect.
Be sure to visit the capital of Holland on our free English tour of Amsterdam.
Location of the Begijnhof
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Begijnhof
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Begijnhof, 31
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Detalles
- 9:00 a 17:00 h - Todos los días
- Gratuito
Horario
Precio
How to get to the Begijnhof
- Parada Amsterdam, Koningsplein (en la Plaza Spui)
