Holy Spirit Chapel

Holy Spirit Chapel of the Poor Clares, now part of the convent of the Sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul. Protected as a city view and as a monument by MB of 10.12.2003.
The Holy Spirit Chapel was part of the Holy Spirit House. This house of God was founded in 1345-1346 for the benefit of the poor in the house of St. Slabbaert, dean of the St. Gudula Church in Brussels and canon of the Collegiate Church in Dendermonde. In 1432, it was expanded with a house of God for poor women. During the French rule, the Holy Spirit House was abolished and handed over to the poor relief office. After the public sale by the Civil Charitable Institutions, the Holy Spirit House was acquired around 1841 by the Colettine Poor Clares from Sint-Niklaas. The Poor Clares established a convent there with cells and took up residence in 1841. Around 1876-1878, they had a new neo-Gothic chapel built on the street side to replace the chapel that had been renovated according to a date stone in 1645. In 1848, this had still been restored. The new Holy Spirit Chapel, along with a gatekeeper's house in the same style and materials, was designed by architect A.T. Verhaegen (Ghent). The mass celebrations in the chapel were accessible to everyone, and the Poor Clares themselves attended mass in a separate space behind an iron gate. In 1914, the chapel was destroyed by fire. Only the outer walls were spared. It was then rebuilt according to the original plans by architect Frans Van Severen (Dendermonde) around 1920. After the convent was dissolved due to a lack of sisters, the buildings became part of the convent of Saint Vincent de Paul in 1985, with the main building located on the south side of Kerkstraat (no. 97), diagonally opposite the Church of Our Lady. It is now home to about ten sisters. The chapel was restored and re-consecrated on August 14, 1988. Certain added elements refer to Saint Vincent. The chapel retained its public function.
The convent buildings of the Poor Clares were grouped around two small courtyards and the garden, but were largely modified and modernized due to the takeover by the Sisters of Saint Vincent. Only the structure of the cloister and a building that stands perpendicular to the chapel, from which the Poor Clares could attend mass, were preserved. The later placed date stone "1645" in the exterior wall commemorates one of the restorations of the former chapel. The furnishings of these spaces were completely changed. One "cell" or "Holy Spirit House" with a hearth and pump, located at the back of the garden, which was once intended as shelter for poor women, is a lone remnant of several cells. It is now used as a storage shed – garden house.
Only the street wing with the chapel, entrance hall, former gatekeeper's house, and passageway have retained their earlier character.

Stichting Open Kerken