BRUGGE/ BRUGES

THE BEGUINAGE

The Beguinage of Bruges was founded in 1245 by the Countess of Flanders, Margaretha of Constantinopel, daughter of Count Baldwin who conquered Constantinopel (now Istambul) during the crusades. In 1299, Philip the beautiful of France, placed the Beguinage under his own rule, thereby withdrawing it from the influence of the town magistrate.Visitors enter the place via a bridge over the canal. The entrance gate bears the date 1776. A lot of houses, however, are much older than that. Most date from the 17th and 18th century. Some houses were built in the 19th century in neo-gothic style. In the southern part is a little dead end street where still some houses of the 15th-16th century can be found. The largest and most impressive house is situated in the left corner behind the garden. It was here that the 'grootjuffrouw', or 'grand-dame' lived. It was she who ruled over the beguinage. The original church of the 13th century was destroyed by a fire in 1584. It was rebuild in 1609 and later again renovated in late baroque style.

Guido Gezelle square

Guido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle (May 1, 1830 - November 27, 1899) was an influential Dutch language writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium.

De bloedkapel

The Basilica of the Holy Blood (Dutch: Heilig-Bloedbasiliek, French: Basilique du Saint-Sang) is a Roman Catholic minor basilica in Bruges, Belgium. Originally built in the 12th century as the chapel of the residence of the Count of Flanders, the church houses a venerated relic of the Holy Blood allegedly collected by Joseph of Arimathea and brought from the Holy Land by Thierry of Alsace, Count of Flanders. Built between 1134 and 1157, it was promoted to minor basilica in 1923.

Belfort

The mediaeval belfry tower (13th-15th century) is 88 metres in height and houses the former city treasury, in which Bruges' valuables (money and royal charters) were once kept. A climb of 366 steps takes the visitor past the impressive clock mechanism and culminates in a breathtaking panoramic view of the city and its surroundings. The famous 47-bell carillon is also located here.

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