Heritage sites, Archaeological discoveries, History of Archaeology

Flemish Beguinages

Location

Leuven

Country

Belgium

Year of Research

1998

Culture

The Béguines were women who spent their lives to God without retiring from the world.

In the 13th century they founded the béguinages, with communities designed to meet their spiritual and material needs. The Flemish béguinages are architectural ensembles with 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.