World Heritage Photos

Flemish Béguinage in Diest – An Oasis of Peace Behind a Monumental Baroque Gateway 

This béguinage is one of around thirty Flemish béguinages in Belgium. These former religious communities were founded in the 13th century in the Netherlands and Flanders, which at the time formed the Low Countries. A béguinage consists of a group of small houses built around a church or chapel, enclosed by a wall with an entrance gate. Béguinages were inhabited by béguines, religious women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. Much like nuns, they lived a religious life, but they did not take vows.

The Béguinage in Diest was founded in 1253. Most of  its 90 houses were built during the 17th and 18th centuries. The entrance gate was built in 1671 and is adorned with a niche housing a statue of the Virgin and Child. The St. Catherine's Church stands in the heart of the béguinage; it was built of iron sandstone in the 14th century. This Flemish béguinage is remarkably well preserved. Today, the houses have become artists' studios, while others serve as homes for elderly residents. The oustanding paintings in St. Catherine's Church are officially part of the Flemish Masters in Situ project.

Thirteen Flemish Béguinages were inscribed as a group on the  UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. The Flemish Béguinage in Diest is part of this site. Another two Flemish béguinages are the Béguinage of Tongeren and Béguinage of Sint-Truiden.

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1. 

   The Baroque main entrance of the Flemish Béguinage in Diest was built in 1671 and is adorned with a niche housing a statue of the Madonna and Child, surrounded by sculpted flowers and heads of cherubs. The decorations in the Rubensian Baroque style were intended to strengthen the faith of the people. Béguinages were founded in the 13th century across the Low Countries, spanning present-day Flanders and the Netherlands. The béguinage is separated from the town by a stone wall; two Baroque gateways provide access to the complex. The béguinage in Diest is part of the serial UNESCO World Heritage Site: Flemish Béguinages.

2. 

   A cobbled street with a typical garden gate in the Flemish Béguinage of Diest. Béguines lived in a béguinage (Dutch: begijnhof). Béguines (Dutch: begijnen) were women who dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. Just like nuns, béguines led a religious life, but they did not take eternal religious vows of chastity and obedience; meaning they could return to ordinary live at any time. They lived and worked under the protection of the local bishop. Nowadays, the Béguinage of Diest is freely accessible, athough most buildings remain closed to visitors.

3. 

   The Gothic St. Catherine's Church stands in the centre of the Flemish Béguinage of Diest. The church was built using typical local rust-brown iron sandstone in the 13th and 14th centuries on the site of an earlier chapel. Het gebouw is adorned with a small central tower and is a classic example beguinage church of that period. The church is considered a treasure trove of religious artworks from the 17th century. The main altar is adorned with the painting 'The Adoration of the Shepherds', created by Frans Francken the Younger. The sculpted pulpit dates from 1671. The woodcarving depicts, among others, St. Begga, the patroness of the béguines.

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   The former infirmary in the Flemish Béguinage of Diest. The gate leads to the quiet back garden and the rest of the complex. The béguinage was founded in 1253 and was dedicated to Saint Catherine. Today, there are still about 90 houses in this well-preserved urban beguinage; they date primarily from the 17th and 18th centuries. At the end of the 18th century, this community was dissolved during the French Occupation (1794–1814). After the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815, the beguines returned again. In 1675, about 400 beguines lived in the beguinage. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were no longer any beguines living there.

5. 

   The 17th-century Apostles’ Convent in the Flemish Beguinage of Diest provided shelter for twelve beguines, a number that serves as a symbolic reference to the twelve apostles. Only the poorest women, who could not afford a house of their own, lived here. The béguinage is located just outside the historic town centre of Diest and is one of the largest in the world. The streets are paved with cobblestones (Dutch: kinderkopjes), natural stones which are typically irregular in size and shape. These iconic stones have been used for centuries to pave roads. Compared to other Flemish béguinages, the streets here are relatively straight and wide.

6. 

   The Holy Ghost Convent in the Béguinage of Diest is recognisable by its characteristic Baroque round-arched doorways. In the façade above the door of this former convent, there is a small Baroque niche containing a statue of a saint – a feature found on many of the houses in this béguinage. Béguines supported themselves by caring for the poor and the elderly, nursing and traditional textile crafts such as spinning, lacemaking, clothmaking and weaving. They also spent time in religious contemplation. Just like the Béguinage at Diest, most of the Flemish Béguinages have maintained their medieval atmosphere and character. 

7. 

   This sculpture depicts the béguines Johanna Uitdewilligen and Bernardina Janssen. In 1926, they were the last beguines to leave the Flemish Beguinage of Diest. With their departure, seven centuries of uninterrupted habitation by béguines in Diest came to an end. The bronze statue was created by Jan Peirelinck in 1990. Due to several wars and the Crusades, there were more single women than single men in the Middle Ages. Living alone was a real danger for medieval women. Many of the unmarried women, often older and widowed, joined a béguinage. It was a perfect refuge; here they lived under the guidance and protection of the Church and a bishop.

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   The Convent of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Convent of the Holy Ghost, now houses an authentic tavern; the building dates back to 1618. As parish priest of the béguinage, Nicolaas van Essche (1507–1578) ordered the demolition of the fire-risk wooden béguine houses in 1540. He had the narrow streets redesigned according to a grid plan of broad streets; subsequently, the current red-brick houses were built around the Gothic St. Catherine’s Church. To this day, the Béguinage of Diest has maintained its medieval layout and architecture.

9. 

   The Kerkstraat Gate in the Béguinage of Diest. In the niche above the gate stands a statue of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of the béguinage and the figure after whom the béguinage church is named. From this inner gate, Kerkstraat runs directly to St. Catherine’s Church. This well-preserved béguinage is now a historic suburb of the Belgian town of Diest. The houses have become artists' studios and homes for the elderly; the former infirmary was converted into a cultural centre with meeting and exhibition rooms. 

10. 

    The former Tithe Barn in the Béguinage of Diest was used for the storage of agricultural produce, including the so-called tithes, the goods with which the béguines paid their taxes. The barn dates back to the 17th century, the heyday of the béguinage, and played an important role in the daily self-sufficiency of these independent women. The Flemish Béguinage of Diest is one of the thirteen Flemish Béguinages recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The well-preserved Béguinage of Diest is situated on the edge of the historic town centre of Diest. Diest is situated in the northeastern part of Belgium, about 60 kilometres from Brussels.