Beguinage of Hasselt, Medieval religious complex in Hasselt, Belgium
The Beguinage of Hasselt is a 13th-century religious complex built in Mosan Renaissance style with two rows of brick and stone houses forming a rectangular courtyard. The buildings surround a central garden that has survived to the present day.
The complex was founded in the 13th century and moved inside the city walls in 1571 due to religious conflicts. Religious women inhabited this site until 1866, marking the end of its original purpose.
The Beguines were women who lived here while practicing their own trades without taking formal monastic vows. Visitors walking through the narrow streets can sense how these women balanced daily work and spiritual life within their community.
The site is located centrally in Hasselt at Zuivelmarkt and now houses Z33, a center for contemporary art and design. Visitors can explore the grounds and attend regularly changing exhibitions and events.
The church was destroyed by bombing in 1944 and only foundation stones and ruins remain today to mark its former location. These traces of destruction still tell the story of wartime devastation on these sacred grounds.
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