Beguinage Lierre: the legacy of medieval housing provision

The Gate of Saint Begga gives access to the Beguinage from the Begijnenstraat (Beguine Street). This patron saint of People who Stutter, was linked to the Beguines by virtue of the likeness in name. The Beguines actually took their name from Lambert le Bègue (Lambert the Stutterer) although this radical twelfth-century priest from Liège wasn't involved in founding the movement. From the gate (1690) one enters the Wezenstraat (Orphan Street) with on the right the oldest cottages of the Beguinage in Lierre. The street was named for a facility for orphaned girls at the end of the street opposite the Infirmary. Directly next to this gate the (female) gatekeeper resided as the gates closed every evening at nine.

A view of the former graveyard with the Church of Saint Margaret (1667) at its centre. This building replaced an older -smaller- church that was built in place of the stone house granted to the beguines by the Duchess of Brabant in 1261.It has an impressive baroque interior. Opposite the west wing of the Infirmary built in 1755-66 with the large gate that gives access to the large inner courtyard. The present large infirmary replaced a much smaller set-up consisting of a block of three adjoining houses next to the "Red Gate" that were used as the first infirmary of the Beguinage.

Next to the church some Quinces have been planted. The bell tower atop the church was added later (1767). The narrow streets are rather straight and have always been paved. The houses along the streets were either built directly on the street or away from it resulting in a variable streetscape.

The paved square around the church is called Oude Kerkhof (literally: Old Church Yard) and was used as the graveyard of the Beguinage. The oldest houses were built around this graveyard with a small church. Most of the houses now standing are from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, although remnants of buildings from some 2oo years before also remain within the present building substance.

Narrow alleys connected the central Rechtestraat with the Bleachfields on the outer moat. In the background the planned houses along this Grachtkant (Moat Side) from the 18th century are visible. The alleys are characterised by side gables and garden walls.

Some of the cottages were originally built at some distance from the road. Later a new street (Nieuwstraat now Symforastraat) was built across the orchard behind and developed for housing. As house numbers hadn't been introduced yet (these came to Belgium with Napoleon) all houses were named. This row of seventeenth century houses have poetic names i.e. Wijngaart des Heeren (The Lords Vineyard), St Bruno, St Christoffel and Maria Visitatie (Visitation of Mary).

The New Convent or Furthest Convent (Achterste Convent - 1595) wasn't a true convent but a dormitory for young women. It was located beyond the former south gate, hence the name and comprises of three separate houses later knocked into an L-shaped building next to the gate on the city wall (shown on the right).

The Symphorastraat was developed in the 14th century. The buildings on the left side of the street have partly been torn down and added as garden space to houses on the Margaretastraat. At the end the narrow alleyway of Piepenholleke (Peek-through Little Hole) was demolished in 1830 and added as gardens to the adjoining houses.

The 18th century development on the former Bleachfield of the Beguines is a regular development of identical houses with an identical floor plan. A low store is part of a new defensive structure here that once joined the outer moat. This stone gate (shown right) was built at the end of the Grachtkant next to the Infirmary.

Beguinage Lierre, a tiny town within a city

The city of Lierre (or Lier in Dutch) was one of the larger urban centres within the Duchy of Brabant. This twin city was located at the confluence of two minor rivers at the edge of the Campine not far from the city of Mechlin (Mechelen in Dutch). Mechlin has two Beguinages, Lierre has just one. The rapid growth of Lierre was directly related to its favourable position on a navigable river and the pilgrimage of Saint Gummarus who was interred here. This influx of people leads to an expansions of trade and thus traders. This in turn leads to the foundation of several religious institutions: the St Elisabeth Hospital in the twelfth century and several religious orders (Cistercian Abbey of Nazareth, Convent of Zion, Black Sisters Convent, Dominican Monastery, Jesuit Monastery, Convent of the Sisters of the Mountain of Peace, Theresian Monastery, Ursulines Convent and Capuchin Monks Monastery) during the following centuries.

The Beguinage of Lierre came into existence probably in the first half of the thirteenth century when a group of unmarried women decides to live together on a small plot of land next to the hunting lodge of the Duke of Brabant. This first Court Beguinage or Begijnhof  - the name "hof" indicates an enclosed or fenced in piece of land and was also used for gardens - lay outside the first city defences but under the protection of the ducal stronghold on the edge of the Nete river.

Adelaide of Burgundy, wife of Henry III granted the religious women land to build a chapel. She was herself a devout woman who was greatly inspired by the teachings of Thomas Aquinas. In 1258 the Beguines were granted the right to have their own church and parish priest. From the onset the Beguinage was fenced off. At first it was surrounded by a paling. The buildings were originally constructed as half-timbered constructions under a thatched roof. Around 1400 the Beguinage consisted of a central church, an infirmery and three so-called convents "het Groethuse", "Canterhuse" and "Woemelghemhuse" in which the Beguines lived together.

With the erection of the second city wall around Lierre - that united both urban cored within one single defensive structure - the Beguinage was incorporated into the city. Along its eastern edge a new moat had already been dug in 1427. This moat was incorporated into the fortifications of 1516. The Beguinage was basically a pious commune of women that was separate from the city it had become a part of. From less than 10 houses it grew steadily through legates and bequests, gradually occupying more territory and adding streets into a tiny city within a city of 162 houses spread along eleven narrow alleys and streets. The wooden fence and palisade was replaced by a wall from the early sixteen hundreds onwards. The housing was also replaced with houses built in stone, to better comply with city fire regulations.

The street pattern is very regular, with fairly irregularly positioned cottages with a great variety of floor plan. This indicated gradual growth along pre-existing lines, most likely the underlying parcelation of fields. The Church of Saint Margaret once stood at the heart of the Beguinage in its own graveyard.  After it was ordained in 1784 that burials should take place outside of the cities the graveyard was closed and paved over.  In the nineteenth century the former orchard was replaced by a Calvary Mount as a symbolic representation of the crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha Hill (also known as Calvary Hill). Within this walled sanctuary an infirmary, convent for young girls, Table of the Holy Ghost (Heilige Geesttafel), rectory, gatekeeper house and new convent were located. Along the moat a wide strip of grass was used for bleaching linen and drying cloth on large wooden frames. This part now known as Grachtkant (Moat Side) was developed for more cottages in 1726 after the decline of the clothing industry. During the nineteenth century some cottages were torn down to create small gardens for the adjoining cottages (these are shown in lighter grey). What remained of the Beguinage has been restored after the last Beguines died out. The Beguinage of Lierre was given the highest conservation status and is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Belgium.

The Beguinage of Lierre is a large example of a Street type. The oldest core (yellow outline) is located around the church (c), although the parcelation suggests that the first houses were located south of this church. The Beguinage has been expanded several times. For a long time the Beguinage had only two gates [G] at either end of the central Rechtstraat, now Sint-Margaretastraat. The Beguinage reached its current and largest extent in the 17th century. Within its walls with four gates (G) we can find: the Infirmary (i), the Old Convent (O), the New Convent (N), a Calvary Mount (M), the Rectory (R), the Gatekeeper House (K) and the Wezenhuis (W) a house for orphaned girls. The Bleachfields [B] were at the heart of the urban industry of the Beguines. They were located along a moat that connected to the Nete river.

Lierre, joining church and commerce

The city of Lierre (Lier in Dutch) is known as the Gate of the Campine and is one of the best-preserved historic water cities of the Low Countries. The earliest history of the city is shrouded in mystery and many fanciful tales, that have subsequently been presented as factual, have been written down about this. What is known is that there was a presence around the area in Roman times. Little of this survives and is all located away from the present city. The earliest mention of Lierre is in 870 as Ledi, a cognate of Leet that signifies a man-made watercourse or an improved natural stream. The much quoted connection with Allier (as Ald-Lier) near Emblem further upstream along the Kleine Nete (Lesser Nethe) being the original settlement should be dismissed! Allier is more likely derived from aa-liedere, again a reference to a man-made watercourse (liede), this time near a natural stream (aa). If Allier was ever to be located opposite Lier, than both settlement have been moved, as present-day Alliers is about a mile (1.6 km) further upstream from Lierre. The core of the story with two donken on either side of the Nethe, each with their own settlement is however congruent with the natural landscape.

This tentative reconstruction of pre-urban Lierre shows clearly the floodplain of the Nete river at the point where the two branches meet with some local elevations of stable sandy soil (so-called donken). The oldest route crosses a ford on the Kleine Nete befor it joins the Grote Nete. The Chapel built by the Saint Gummarus stand on the edge of higher land (Nivesdonk) surrounded by rivulets. On the other side several routes converge on a donk (Oudendonk). This is where the trade settlement would develop. Further south stood a hunting lodge.

The Franconian nobleman Gummarus who lived at Emblem retreated to a pious life after his marriage failed and became a hermit at Nivesdonk, a sandy elevation in the floodplain of the Nethe rivers. He established a place of worship here where he was also buried after his death around 714. On his grave a small chapel was erected. This chapel gradually became a place of pilgrimage after Gummarus had been sanctified in 754. As a result the chapel was enlarged and a service district with lodgings and relics sprang up around it. This meant that the ford linking the Oudendonk with the Nivesdonk became more important. On the high bank of the Nethe a small trade settlement grew as the river was navigable by small vessels. These two separate settlements would grow rapidly during the 11th and 12th centuries. A new shorter connection with a wooden bridge will also have been built during this period. It has been suggested that the mention of Lierre as oppidum in 1194 must have meant that some form of defensive structure had been created around the trade settlement. A moat with a paling is very possible as most of the market square occupies the Oudendonk, but no evidence of this has been found. Shortly after, in 1212, the Duke of Brabant elevates Lierre to city. The city limits were pegged out in 1213 and included the so-called Kuip (literally: barrel) the low-lying floodplain and the Bijvang (catchment) that included the villages of Kessel, Nijlen, Emblem, Hagenbroek, Lachenen, Mijl and Bevel.

It is around this time that a canal is dug linking the Kleine and Grote Nete (Greater Nethe) north of the twin city thus better dividing the flow of water and decreasing the risk of flooding. In 1244 work starts n formal city defences consisting of a moat, walls and gates. Around the commercial settlement on the Oudendonk the existing arm of the Kleine Nete is dammed and a new outer moat is dug in a wide arc around the marketplace used as an outer moat. This moat is called Vest. The old main branch of the Kleine Nete is later known as Brouwersvliet (Brewers Fleet - Bv). The northern rivulet of the Grote Nete is known as Vredebergvliet (Vv). Around the clerical settlement a similar Vest is dug. This moat simply joins on to the existing man branch of the Grote Nete. This stream is also dammed and a new canal Minnevliet (Mv) is dug to redirect water to the Brouwersvliet. The rivulet of Sint Pietersvliet (Pv) joins onto this Minnevliet. With this a Wharf is created along the bank of the Nete. The works are completed around 1317 when a fortified bridge is built replacing the old ford. This St Jansbrug linkes the city wall on each side of the river. The twin city has become a single entity. In 1388 a water mill is built on the dammed branch of the Grote Nete, that is henceforth known as Kerkhofmolenloop (Kl).

 

The city of Lierre  before 1400 with its two centres encircled by a defensive moat and wall. The religious centre has at its heart the Chapel of St. Peter (C1) and the Church of St Gummarus (C2). On the other side we find the large Market Square with the Cloth Hall (L-Lakenhal). Nearby stands the Chapel of St. Jacob with almshouses. The two centres were connected with the Bridge of St. John (1) and the High Bridge (2). The religious centre on Nivesdock was expanded with the addition of the Hospital of Our Dear Lady (3), Table of the Holy Ghost (4), St Anthony Almshouse (5) and the Court Beguinage (6) with the Chapel of St. Margaret (C4). The Lisper Windmill (7) that belonged to the Convent of Nazareth on the Kleine Nete at Lisp, stood outside the first city, as did the Hermitage Chapel (C5). The city had 5 gates: Eikelpoort (8), Mechelse Poort (9), Antwerpse Poort (10), Lisperpoort (11) and Berlaarpoort (12). A water mill (13) stood near the cemetery on the Old Nete.

During the course of the 14th century the city of Lierre expanded rapidly due to the cloth making industry and trade. As a result a cloth hall (1367) with a fortified belfry (1369) was built on the central market square. This building doubled up as city hall. In the 1370s the city gates are completed. Behind the cloth hall the trade settlement founded its own chapel with almshouse in 1383. This coincided with the acquisition of the Strypensveld (Stripes Field) east of the city by the council. Here streets are laid out and a housing quarter is built. This quarter with the existing Bril Quarter is the counterpart of the Quay Quarter (Kaaiwijk) and Brewers Quarter on the other side of the river. In front of the 5 gates (of which only 1 gives access to the religious centre on the east bank) suburbs develop.

To pre-empt future development it is decided to expand the city even further. In 1389 a new, wider, urban envelope is approved. Work starts with the acquisition of land and the strengthening of the embankments of the Nete within the old city by erecting river walls at the wharf and quay. Also work started on 7 new gates. A new moat was dug encircling the old city on both sides. At regular intervals bulwarks were built along the outer moat known as Stadsvesten. The old moat was renamed according to the functions nearby; for instance Gasthuisvest after the Gasthuis (hospital) or Kolveniersvest (named after the Culverin Guild that had a shooting range nearby). Within this new city moat walls were raised. To improve the drainage situation and better control water levels within the city a new canal was dug called the Binnennete (n). To improve water management even further, a large flushing sluice (Groot Spuihuis 1508) was built where this canal joined the moat. A second flushing sluice (Klein Spuihuis 1518) was built where the old Nete joined the moat, thus ensuring a better water level for the fulling mill (built 1421) on the old Vest.  The city florished and attracted many religious institutions, merchants and artisans. The demise of the cloth trade and the religious turmoil that followed in the 15th and 16th centuries halted the development of Lierre, so that large areas remained rural. The city had a short resurgence under the patronage of Isabella of Austria around 1610. New religious institutions were founded, the markets were enlarged and breweries sprang up around the city that became famous for its caves beer. This development was situated within or directly adjacent to the old city so most of the land within the city walls was used for market gardening, raising pigs and poultry and orchards.  It wasn't until the 1900s that a plan was made to develop the Sionsbeemden (SB), Gasthuisbeemden (GB, Molse Beemden (MB) and the Kartuizerveld (KV).

The urban area was more than tripled in the 15th century. The infrastructure for trade was expanded with the Meat Hall (Vleeshuis-V) a Wharf (W) and Keys (K). The number of institutions expanded: Convent Black Sisters (1), Cellites Monastery (2), Monastery of Sion (3), St Barbara Almshouse (4), Orphanage (5), Monastery of the Dominican Preachers (6), Jesuit Monastery (7), Carthusian Monastery (8), Vredeberg Convent (9), Theresian Monastery (10), Almshouses of St Joachim and St Anna (11) and Ursulin Convent (12). Later the St Elisabeth Hospital (13) was added. The enlarged city had several gates: Begijnepoort (14), Mechelse Buitenpoort (15), Antwerpse Buitenpoort (16), Boschpoort or Lisper Buitenpoort (17), Waterpoort (18), Groot Spuihuis (19), Klein Spuihuis (20), Leuvensepoort (21) and Molsepoort (22). A second water mill was built on the Nete  for fulling wool (23). A third (double) water mill for pressing oil and sawing planks (24) was built off the Molsepoort  on the city moat. Finally a second wind mill was added at Pettendonk (25).