Little Beguinage

View of the Saint Gertrude Church from the Klein Begijnhof.
The Klein Begijnhof of Leuven is a neighborhood consisting of a street and two dead-end alleys to the north of the Saint Gertrude Abbey. This neighborhood was inhabited by beguines until the 19th century. As the name suggests, this beguinage is the smallest of the two beguinages in the city. The other, Groot Begijnhof, is located on the other side of the city, and both beguinages actually have no common history. The Klein Begijnhof is said to have originated as a community of women serving in the nearby Saint Gertrude Abbey (but this is not certain). Initially (until 1631), the Klein Begijnhof did not form its own parish. Only in 1636 was a church in late Gothic style built for the beguines. The number of beguines never exceeded 100 and declined very rapidly after the French Revolution. source: wikipedia

Via Halfmaartstraat, Sluisstraat, Glasblazerijstraat, and Burchtstraat back to Keizerberg.

Blauwkruikje