One of Belgium's finest béguinages, and far quieter than its more famous counterpart in Bruges. The walled enclosure contains a cluster of whitewashed houses around a central church, shaded by lime trees. It is still inhabited today — by Benedictine nuns rather than béguines — and the atmosphere of calm is genuine. Step through the gate and the city disappears.
Begijnhof
Tranquil 13th-century béguinage, still inhabited by nuns
A story
The Kortrijk béguinage was founded in 1238 by Countess Johanna of Constantinople. Unlike a convent, béguinages housed lay religious women — the béguines — who lived communally and worked for their own living. The Kortrijk community survived almost uninterrupted until the early 20th century.