Beguinale House, Bruges.
Beguinale House
The Beguinage of Bruges was founded in 1245 by the Countess of Flanders - Margeretha of Constatinople. She was the daughter of Count Baldwin who conquered Constatinople. The Beguines were a religious movement of women who decided to serve God without retiring from the world. They earned their living by knitting laces. The last beguinage nun left in 1927. In 1937, it became a Monastry for the Benedictine Sisters. Must take a small bridge & an entrance gate dated 1776 to reach this tranquil place. The Beguinage is a group of white washed houses build around a garden covered with lawns, poplar trees & in spring carpeted with daffodils. In the midst of the houses there's a church. Ancient church was destroyed in 1584 & it was rebuilt in 1609.