Begijnhofkerk (Paterskerk) Tienen Belgium and remains of the beguinage

Begijnhofkerk (Paterskerk) Tienen Belgium and remains of the beguinage

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. They 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 adjacent 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 set up in 1997 as a walking park with a historical and tourist character.
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Theo-Herbots-Photography
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