The Klein Beguinage – not much larger than a single street – dates back to the thirteenth century and was founded as a living community for women who wanted to live religiously outside the walls of a convent. They remained celibate but did not take eternal vows: the beguinage was an early form of autonomy for women who stepped out of the bourgeoisie.
After the French Revolution, the church lost its grip on the site. The Public Centre for Social Welfare took over its management. Around the turn of the century, the beguinage was completely renovated. Part was sold as private housing, while part remained in the hands of the Public Centre for Social Welfare as social housing. This currently amounts to about ten homes.
The Public Centre for Social Welfare retains ten social housing units in a beguinage that is largely privatized. Is this a victory for the public good, or a meager remnant of a world that has disappeared?
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