Travels with Me - The Beguinages, Amsterdam, Netherlands and Brugge, Belgium

Several times someone would comment about photos and I would think 'Oh, I could have included that'.  So, I have decided that each month, I hope, I will blog about a new place or just show more pictures of a place already mentioned.  To make it easy I am going to start with the Netherlands and just browse through my photos.  I hope you will enjoy it.

I made two visits to the Begijnhof Section in Amsterdam.  The beguines, as they came to be called, settled this area of Amsterdam in 1150.  They took care of the sick but they were not nuns, took no vows and were free to leave.

You pass through this portal and go down this lane

to reach the interior

This house shown below was thought to be the oldest house in Amsterdam until very recently.  It was determined to have been built in 1528.

 This is the interior of the Catholic chapel that was made by combining two houses.

More information about the Beguinage can be found at this site.

I also visited a former Beguinage in Brugge, Belgium, established in 1245, that is now used by the Benedictines.  Here are some photos.

The Flemish Beguinages are all UNESCO World Heritage sites.  Here is the video:

Here is another interesting documentary about the Beguines.

I hope you enjoyed this post.