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4. Anderlecht Beguinage

Anderlecht Beguinage, Brussels

Photo © Erasmus House. View all images in our Anderlecht Beguinage Photo Gallery.

Photo © Erasmus House.

The Anderlecht Béguinage in Brussels is the former home of the Béguines, who were Catholic lay sisters and mostly widows of Crusaders.

The Beguinage consists of a collection of small houses, built between 1252 and the 17th century, grouped around a garden. It was the smallest beguinage in Belgium, where only eight Beguines lived.

The Beguinage is now open to the public, sharing a common administrative office with the Erasmus House. The Beguinage Museum was set up in 1930.

What to See

The Beguinage Museum consists of two houses (one 16th-century, the other 18th-century) which are built around a pleasant inner courtyard. From here there is a fine view of the nearby Church of St. Guidon, built in the 16th century.

The museum's collection includes objects of archaeological interest, religious art and a local history collection which documents a thousand years of Anderlecht history.

Quick Facts on the Anderlecht Beguinage

Map of the Anderlecht Beguinage

Below is a location map and aerial view of the Anderlecht Beguinage. Using the buttons on the left (or the wheel on your mouse), you can zoom in for a closer look, or zoom out to get your bearings. To move around, click and drag the map with your mouse.

References

1. Fodor's Belgium, 3rd ed.
2. Official Website of the Erasmus House

More Information

• Anderlecht Beguinage, Brussels - Go Historic
• Photos of Anderlecht Beguinage - here on Sacred Destinations

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