Beguinage and Beguinage Church Tienen Belgium

Beguinage and Beguinage Church Tienen Belgium
Beguinage A beguinage was a world in itself. This was because these courts were located on the outskirts of the city and were also walled. Beguines were godly women, living in separate houses but united in a community. They were subject to a mystical rule, but were not a monastic order. However, they wore specific clothing, did little outside their walls and paid taxes, because they were not subject to the vow of poverty. They also submitted to the authority of their superiors, the so-called regentesses or grandmaids. They kept what they owned as long as they lived.

On the basis of a letter from November 1202 from Geldolf van Ryckel, abbot of the Sint-Geertrui abbey in Leuven, one could say that this beguinage already existed before 1202. The beguinage was probably founded around 1240. It is certain that construction work on their church started in 1245. In 1250, an auxiliary bishop blessed this church under construction. Through various donations, the beguines gradually expanded their domain. Some ancient sources say that the community quickly grew to 300 beguines. In 1754, the Begijnhof consisted of 57 houses, next to the common Convent, the Infirmerie and the “Contoir”. It was striking that many of the beguines were of good descent. However, the number of beguines shrank noticeably.

During the French revolution, the beguinage was abolished and the goods passed to the Commission of Civil Hospices. In 1823, only 27 beguines remained. Some taught poor girls. The last beguine, Anne Catherine Kestens, died at the blessed age of 79 on March 19, 1866. During bombing raids in 1944, most of the beguinage's houses were destroyed.

The first Beguinage Church in Belgium was built in Liège in 1240 in Beguinage. Tienen is often mentioned as the second oldest beguinage, where construction of the early Gothic Beguinage church started in 1245. The flat facade did not contain a clock tower. The plan consisted of three naves and a non-protruding pseudo-transept from the 13th century. The choir and side chapels date from the 14th century. Only the pointed arches of the ship against the facade have been preserved. These clearly show that all the arches rested on simple square columns. The church had a paneled wooden barrel vault.

In 1843, the Commission of Civil Houses of God (a predecessor of the present OCMW) sold the Begijnhofkerk and the adjoining buildings to the Dominican fathers, who converted it into a monastery. We can see that the fathers were very popular, because the Beguinage Church is still known to the people of Tienen as the 'Fathers Church'.

On September 22, 1976, a major fire destroyed the church. After restoration, the ruin was completed in 1997

Theo-Herbots-Photography
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