Museum Godshuis Belle, Protected monument and art museum in Ypres, Belgium.
Museum Godshuis Belle occupies a restored medieval almshouse with an attached chapel, displaying artworks and furnishings from different periods within its historic rooms. The complex preserves the layout and character of a functioning charitable institution from centuries ago.
This institution was founded in the 13th century to assist poor people during a period of economic hardship. It later became a home for the elderly and served this purpose for hundreds of years.
The name comes from Salomon Belle, whose widow Christine van Guînes founded the almshouse around 1273; his descendants headed it until 1796. The chapel now holds the OCMW art collection, including a 1420 panel painting of the Virgin with donors Yolente Belle and Joos Bryde and their children.
The chapel that holds the collection stands on Rijselstraat, rebuilt in 1933–1934 after the First World War. The building has been a protected monument since 1940 and is now leased to the psychiatric rehabilitation centre Hedera, so check locally which parts are open before setting out.
The chapel's oldest piece is a panel painting of the Virgin with donors Yolente Belle and Joos Bryde and their children, made in 1420 by an unknown artist sometimes called the Master of 1420. It is among the earliest panel paintings in Flanders.
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