World Heritage Photos

Flemish Béguinage of Sint-Truiden – The St Agnes Church as the Centrepiece

The UNESCO-listed Béguinage of Sint-Truiden is part of a group of historic Flemish béguinages in Belgium, and is particularly interesting due to its oustanding church. The béguinage was founded in 1258; very little remains of the surrounding wall, and the entrance gate no longer exists. The Béguinage Church of Saint Agnes was built in the 13th century. This historic church houses an exceptional collection of religious art; most notable are the numerous wall and pillar paintings from around 1300 to the beginning of the 17th century. The Festraets Studio in the béguinage houses a world-famous astronomical clock and a replica of Foucault's pendulum.

Béguinages were founded in the 13th century across the Netherlands and Flanders, at the time part of the Low Countries . A béguinage traditionally consists of a group of small houses built around a church or chapel and enclosed by a wall with an entrance gate. Béguines chosed to live in a béguinage and dedicated their lives to God without retiring from the world. Just like nuns, they lived a deeply religious life, but did not take religious vows.

Thirteen Flemish béguinages became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The Béguinage of Sint-Truiden is part of this site. Other Flemish béguinages are the Béguinage of Diest and the Béguinage of Tongeren. The Belgian town of Sint-Truiden features two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Flemish béguinages and the Belfries of Belgium and France.

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   The Church of Saint Agnes is the heart of the Flemish Béguinage in Sint-Truiden. Construction of this Late Romanesque and Early Gothic church started in 1258; it is considered one of the most beautiful béguinage churches in Flanders. The church houses a unique series of 38 medieval wall paintings, dating from the late 13th to the early 17th centuries, which depict scenes from the lives of the Virgin Mary and various saints. In 1998, the Béguinage of Sint-Truiden, along with twelve other beguinages, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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   The indispensable bleaching field in front of the Church of Saint Agnes in the Flemish Béguinage of Sint-Truiden: The church is located in a rectangular grass courtyard bordered by centuries-old béguinage houses. Béguines supported themselves by doing tasks for others, such as laundry, using a bleaching field to whiten and dry the washing. Next to the church stands the Festraets Studio, which houses the world’s largest astronomical clock and an exacct replica of Foucault’s famous pendulum. The town of Sint-Truiden lies between Leuven and Liège.

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   The timber framed wall of a historic house dating from 1690 in the Flemish Béguinage of Sint-Truiden. Many of the original 17th-century wattle-and-daub walls were replaced by red brick in the 18th and 19th centuries. The béguinage was founded in 1258. The complex was built just outside the town walls of Sint-Truiden, surrounded by its own wall, and had its own entrance gate that no longer exists. The majority of the houses date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. In its heyday, there were about 200 béguines living there.

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   A historic béguinage house overgrown with Virginia creeper, with the Church of Saint Agnes, also known as the Béguinage Church, in the background. When the infirmary was closed in 1855, the last four béguines were housed in this small dwelling, bringing the six-century-long history of the Béguinage of Sint-Truiden to a definitive end. This béguinage is also known as the Béguinage of Saint Agnes and belongs to the type of square béguinages, which consists of a number of small houses built around the church. Thirteen Flemish béguinages were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.

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   The historic water well in the Flemish Béguinage of Sint-Truiden once served as a meeting place for the béguines as they collected water for their daily needs and textile work. This authentic water well was built between 1750 and 1780, during the same period as the almshouse located behind it. The small wooden roof above it was built much later. The single women who lived in a béguinage dedicated their lives to God without withdrawing from the world. Much like nuns, béguines lived a religious life but did not take perpetual vows.

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   One of the oldest brick houses in the Flemish Béguinage of Sint-Truiden is this almshouse, a convent for the elderly or those in need within the community. Béguines who could not afford their own houses lived here together under the supervision of a housemother, supporting themselves with nursing and traditional textile skills, such as weaving, spinning, lace- and cloth-making. Béguines also spent time in religious contemplation to experience the presence of God. The town of Sint-Truiden is located in the province of Limburg, in the Flemish region of Belgium.

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   The remarkable Tower House was probably the residence of the Grande Dame. This Great Lady was responsible for the daily management of the Béguinage of Sint-Truiden. The year 1619 is indicated by means of wrought-iron wall anchors on the walls of this impressive house, which features a striking octagonal tower. The gables ends feature beautiful brickwork along the roof edge and above the windows, characteristic of traditional Dutch and Flemish brick architecture. The small béguine house next to it dates from 1690. 

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   Béguinages were founded at the beginning of the 13th century in the Low Countries, modern-day Netherlands and Flanders. The Béguinage of Sint-Truiden had a small hospital (infirmary), which was housed in this red-brick building. Sick béguines lay here in beds arranged in rows, cared for by their fellow sisters. From the central hospital ward, it was possible to follow the daily Mass held in the infirmary’s integrated chapel. In the mid-19th century, the building was converted into private residences.

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   Next to the entrance of the Flemish Béguinage in Sint-Truiden stands the béguinage farm, the only one of its kind still in existence in Flanders. This farm, with its impressive gatehouse, was built in the mid-18th century. The structure above the gate served as a dovecote. At the time, keeping such birds was a privilege reserved for the nobility and the clergy. Beyond the gate lies a residential building, accompanied by stables and barns. The agricultural produce from the farm enabled the béguines to sustain themselves.

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    The impressive town hall of Sint-Truiden is located in the city's historic centre. Its current bell tower, which dates back to 1606, served as the city's belfry. In front of it stands a monumental Liège column, a medieval symbol of urban freedom and the right to self-governance. The stone column is topped with a wrought-iron eagle. The belfry is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, as is the city's béguinage. Sint-Truiden is therefore home to no fewer than two World Heritage Sites.