Almshouses De Muelenaere - Bruges

Johanna de Muelenaere, a widow, donated three farms , the proceeds of which were used to build houses for needy, elderly women.

From 1625 the houses were inhabited. The communal garden has a well in the middle. A chapel was built on the south side, where the residents prayed daily for the foundress .

The De Muelenaere foundation with its original twenty-four almshouses is one of the most visited areas in Bruges. In 1980 thorough adjustments were made and each time one house of three houses was made, which reduced the number of residents to eight couples.

The de Muelenaere almshouses were protected as a monument by royal decree in 1974 .

A house of worship was a housing that was built out of charity , usually for the needy or the elderly . The initiative for establishing houses of worship often came from craft guilds or wealthy persons who were convinced that this would also secure their soul's salvation. The almshouses were not intended for the completely destitute , but for the impoverished elderly, who were afflicted by the death of the breadwinner, by illness, disability or old age. A modest rent was requested and sometimes the residents had to bring their household effects, bed and sheets. There were also house rules . One had to be a Bruges resident, pray daily for one's benefactor, and behave properly. Begging was prohibited and bad behavior was punished. In most almshouses the inhabitants received a small sum of money for maintenance and a daily bowl of soup. In the winter they were given firewood.

Almshouses are built according to a sober and characteristic architecture. They are usually built side by side, along a street or shielded from the street by a wall with an entrance gate. Most of them are built around a courtyard garden. The garden is usually communal, but is sometimes divided into plots of land, where each resident could grow some vegetables. Originally, the houses (called 'stone rooms') consisted of a single room that served as a kitchen, living room and bedroom. A steep staircase led to the attic which provided storage space. The (common or otherwise) sanitary facilities were located in the courtyard.

The French administration expropriated them all and brought them under the public administration called the Civil almshouses .

Bruges was, of course, not the only city that had 'houses of worship'. Similar foundations were found in all the cities of the Southern Netherlands. In the Northern provinces they were called 'hofjes', in England 'almshouses', in France 'Maisons-Dieu'. For many reasons they have disappeared or almost disappeared in most places . In Bruges they held up exceptionally and are still a significant and image-defining element in the inner city, while also being a welcome instrument in the social urban policy for the elderly.

Willem Vandenameele