Strong women

Strong women

The movement of Begijnen is a first sign of women’s independence. Beginen were not nuns, they did not take lifelong vows of faith. They were, however, unmarried, had to take a vow of chastity, and were obedient to the priest of the Begijnhof, who was their superior and father. They did not take a vow…

Cornelia Arens

Begijnen were always buried in the church, something that was very common at those days. But there is one well-known exception: Cornelia Arens, daughter of very wealthy parents. She did not want to be buried in the church, but preferred to be buried in the gutter as penance for her family’s transition to Protestantism. After…

Rules of the Begijnen

In 1393, Albrecht van Beyeren drew up a number of rules for the Begijnen: It is not allowed to leave the Court without leave of absence At 9 o’clock in the evening every begijn has to be in in her own home, At 10 o’clock the lights must be switched off, Her robe and household…

Last Begijn and current residents

In 1862 the last Begijnen decided to live together in the large house Bethany at no. 26. In 1950 there were still 10 women living here. The last Begijn died on May 23, 1971, Sister Antonia, she was 84 years old. In 1974, as a tribute to all Begijnen, a statue of a Begijn was…

Quarrel on the court

Of course, there were and are sometimes disputes and even quarrels between the residents. This was also the case with Margriet van Ray around 1700. In the years 1700 to 1744, this woman terrorized the Court with her “insufferably quaint temper”: emptying buckets of water on the floor of the downstairs neighbors, nocturnal noise and…