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Holy Corner (Ghent Béguinage)
Encyclopedia
The Belgian
city of Ghent
has three béguinage
s: the "Old Saint Elisabeth", known in English as the Holy Corner, the new Saint Elisabeth béguinage in the Ghent suburb of Sint-Amandsberg and Our Lady Ter Hoyen in the Lange Violettenstraat. The Saint Elisabeth béguinage was named after Elisabeth of Hungary
also known as Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia.
Holy Corner is a protected urban heritage site
. It is now a largely urban neighbourhood in the North West of Ghent, close to the Rabot (originally a Spanish fortification, now a Ghent neighbourhood as well), between the Burgstraat and the Begijnhoflaan.
Holy Corner can easily be reached by general transport. Since its newest addition is the Russian Orthodox church
, it is notable that tram 4, the quickest connection from Ghent railway station, has as its final destination the Ghent neighbourhood of Moscou
.
, who also helped with the construction of the Hospital in Lille
named after her (L'hospice de la Comtesse Jeanne, built in 1236).
The béguinage constructed in 1234, and soon named after Saint-Elisabeth who was canonized in 1236, grew into a little town of its own, with a church, a "Grootjuffer" house, an infirmery (with its own chapel), 18 convents, a big laundry meadow (used by the beguines who took in laundry of rich Ghent inhabitants) and a large orchard.
During the French Revolution
, the city of Ghent acquired the property rights to the béguinage (on the legal provision of having to subsidize and maintain it). This actually happened to all church property in Belgium, but as the béguinage was not solely an area used for religious activities, the city of Ghent repeatedly tried to incorporate it in new development, as Ghent was experiencing the effects of the Industrial revolution
and needed cheap housing for its increasing working force.
After a number of beguines voluntarily settled in a new béguinage at Our Lady Ter Hoyen, the conflict between the Saint Elisabeth béguinage and the town administration dominated by the liberal party
became intense. Thanks to financial sponsoring by the Duke of Arenberg (also known as the Prinz von Recklinghausen) in two years' time (1872-1874) a new béguinage was built at the then still indepent village of Sint-Amandsberg. On September 29 1874, more than 600 beguines left Ghent for Sint-Amandsberg, in carriages provided by the Ghent Roman Catholic aristocracy.
After the departure of the beguines, the béguinage became a social housing area. There was less investment in infrastructure and accommodation and the area became a prime example of urban decay
.
However, in the 20th century, some voices started to be heard that clamoured for the preservation of this unique urban site. Thanks to this, both private enterprise and the town of Ghent started to invest more into local housing, and from 1984 on the neighbourhood even began to feel the effects of gentrification
. As often, artists were the first to come here: Constant Permeke
, Albert Servaes
and Frits Van den Berghe
all once lived at Van Akenstraat, 7 (but not simultaneously).
In English, the neighbourhood is widely known as "Holy Corner". The name was originally coined by the former local Church of England vicar, Cameron Walker, who was of Scottish
descent, and who with this name may have hinted at Holy Corner
in Edinburgh
. At the time, the neighbourhood was the location of four churches of four different nominations: the Roman Catholic
Saint Elisabeth Church, which was originally the béguinage church, the Orthodox Church of Saint Andrew
, the Protestant Rabot Church and the Saint John's Anglican Church. The four churches share an Ecumenical Whitsun walk. Though the area has been largely gentrified, on Sunday mornings practically every European and African language can be heard in its streets, since many Russians, Greeks, Ukrainians, Romanians, Serbs, Ethiopians, ... come to worship at the Orthodox Church, the Anglican church attracted lots of Africans (and some other Christian foreigners who do not understand Dutch, the vernacular of the other three churches in the neighbourhood) and the Protestant church has Dutch, Africans and some East Europeans among its worshippers. However, in the summer of 2008, the Anglican church moved to the neighbouring Theresianenstraat, just outside Holy Corner.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
city of Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
has three béguinage
Béguinage
A béguinage or begijnhof is a collection of small buildings used by Beguines. These were various lay sisterhoods of the Roman Catholic Church, founded in the 13th century in the Low Countries, comprising religious women who sought to serve God without retiring from the world.-Description:A...
s: the "Old Saint Elisabeth", known in English as the Holy Corner, the new Saint Elisabeth béguinage in the Ghent suburb of Sint-Amandsberg and Our Lady Ter Hoyen in the Lange Violettenstraat. The Saint Elisabeth béguinage was named after Elisabeth of Hungary
Elisabeth of Hungary
Elizabeth of Hungary, T.O.S.F., was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Countess of Thuringia, Germany and a greatly-venerated Catholic saint. Elizabeth was married at the age of 14, and widowed at 20. She then became one of the first members of the newly-founded Third Order of St. Francis,...
also known as Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia.
Location
Cityscape
A cityscape is the urban equivalent of a landscape. Townscape is roughly synonymous with cityscape, though it implies the same difference in urban size and density implicit in the difference between the words city and town. In urban design the terms refer to the configuration of built forms and...
. It is now a largely urban neighbourhood in the North West of Ghent, close to the Rabot (originally a Spanish fortification, now a Ghent neighbourhood as well), between the Burgstraat and the Begijnhoflaan.
Holy Corner can easily be reached by general transport. Since its newest addition is the Russian Orthodox church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, it is notable that tram 4, the quickest connection from Ghent railway station, has as its final destination the Ghent neighbourhood of Moscou
Moscou (Ghent)
Moscou is a densely populated, largely suburban neighbourhood of the Belgian city of Ghent, which owes its peculiar name to the presence of the Russian army in 1814-1815.- History :...
.
History
In the 13th century, a number of devout, unmarried and lay women, who had been helping the Cistercian sisters with their medical work, were given their own premises by Countess Joanna of Constantinople, daughter to Baldwin IX of FlandersBaldwin I of Constantinople
Baldwin I , the first emperor of the Latin Empire of Constantinople, as Baldwin IX Count of Flanders and as Baldwin VI Count of Hainaut, was one of the most prominent leaders of the Fourth Crusade, which resulted in the capture of Constantinople, the conquest of the greater part of the Byzantine...
, who also helped with the construction of the Hospital in Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
named after her (L'hospice de la Comtesse Jeanne, built in 1236).
The béguinage constructed in 1234, and soon named after Saint-Elisabeth who was canonized in 1236, grew into a little town of its own, with a church, a "Grootjuffer" house, an infirmery (with its own chapel), 18 convents, a big laundry meadow (used by the beguines who took in laundry of rich Ghent inhabitants) and a large orchard.
During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the city of Ghent acquired the property rights to the béguinage (on the legal provision of having to subsidize and maintain it). This actually happened to all church property in Belgium, but as the béguinage was not solely an area used for religious activities, the city of Ghent repeatedly tried to incorporate it in new development, as Ghent was experiencing the effects of the Industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
and needed cheap housing for its increasing working force.
After a number of beguines voluntarily settled in a new béguinage at Our Lady Ter Hoyen, the conflict between the Saint Elisabeth béguinage and the town administration dominated by the liberal party
Liberalism in Belgium
This article gives an overview of liberalism in Belgium. It is limited to liberal parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme...
became intense. Thanks to financial sponsoring by the Duke of Arenberg (also known as the Prinz von Recklinghausen) in two years' time (1872-1874) a new béguinage was built at the then still indepent village of Sint-Amandsberg. On September 29 1874, more than 600 beguines left Ghent for Sint-Amandsberg, in carriages provided by the Ghent Roman Catholic aristocracy.
After 1874
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
.
However, in the 20th century, some voices started to be heard that clamoured for the preservation of this unique urban site. Thanks to this, both private enterprise and the town of Ghent started to invest more into local housing, and from 1984 on the neighbourhood even began to feel the effects of gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
. As often, artists were the first to come here: Constant Permeke
Constant Permeke
Constant Permeke was a Belgian painter and sculptor who is considered the leading figure of Flemish expressionism.Permeke was born in Antwerp but when he was six years old the family moved to Ostend, where his father became curator of the Municipal Museum of Arts. Permeke went to school in Bruges...
, Albert Servaes
Albert Servaes
Albert Servaes was a Belgian expressionist painter. He was part of the first Latem school of painting which focused on Mystical Realism, but became a founder of Belgian expressionism later in life. He became known for his religious works, typically showing the suffering of Jesus Christ, which...
and Frits Van den Berghe
Frits Van den Berghe
Frits Van den Berghe was a Belgian expressionist painter.He was born at Ghent. Like his friends Constant Permeke and Gustave De Smet, he first adopted the late-impressionist style of Emile Claus, but converted to expressionism during World War I....
all once lived at Van Akenstraat, 7 (but not simultaneously).
In English, the neighbourhood is widely known as "Holy Corner". The name was originally coined by the former local Church of England vicar, Cameron Walker, who was of Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
descent, and who with this name may have hinted at Holy Corner
Holy Corner
Holy Corner is a colloquial name for a small area of Edinburgh, Scotland, and is actually part of the area more properly known as Burghmuirhead, itself part of the lands of Greenhill. Holy Corner lies between the areas of Bruntsfield and Morningside...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. At the time, the neighbourhood was the location of four churches of four different nominations: the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Saint Elisabeth Church, which was originally the béguinage church, the Orthodox Church of Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew
Saint Andrew , called in the Orthodox tradition Prōtoklētos, or the First-called, is a Christian Apostle and the brother of Saint Peter. The name "Andrew" , like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him...
, the Protestant Rabot Church and the Saint John's Anglican Church. The four churches share an Ecumenical Whitsun walk. Though the area has been largely gentrified, on Sunday mornings practically every European and African language can be heard in its streets, since many Russians, Greeks, Ukrainians, Romanians, Serbs, Ethiopians, ... come to worship at the Orthodox Church, the Anglican church attracted lots of Africans (and some other Christian foreigners who do not understand Dutch, the vernacular of the other three churches in the neighbourhood) and the Protestant church has Dutch, Africans and some East Europeans among its worshippers. However, in the summer of 2008, the Anglican church moved to the neighbouring Theresianenstraat, just outside Holy Corner.
External links
- Saint Elisabeth Group Website
- Saint Elisabeth page (in Dutch) on the website of the Roman Catholic Church in Ghent
- Orthodox St Andrew Church Website (in Dutch)
- Protestant Rabot church website (in Dutch)
- Anglican Saint John's website (still featuring a drawing of its older location in the Boonenstraat)