Beguinage Lierre, a tiny town within a city

The city of Lierre (or Lier in Dutch) was one of the larger urban centres within the Duchy of Brabant. This twin city was located at the confluence of two minor rivers at the edge of the Campine not far from the city of Mechlin (Mechelen in Dutch). Mechlin has two Beguinages, Lierre has just one. The rapid growth of Lierre was directly related to its favourable position on a navigable river and the pilgrimage of Saint Gummarus who was interred here. This influx of people leads to an expansions of trade and thus traders. This in turn leads to the foundation of several religious institutions: the St Elisabeth Hospital in the twelfth century and several religious orders (Cistercian Abbey of Nazareth, Convent of Zion, Black Sisters Convent, Dominican Monastery, Jesuit Monastery, Convent of the Sisters of the Mountain of Peace, Theresian Monastery, Ursulines Convent and Capuchin Monks Monastery) during the following centuries.

The Beguinage of Lierre came into existence probably in the first half of the thirteenth century when a group of unmarried women decides to live together on a small plot of land next to the hunting lodge of the Duke of Brabant. This first Court Beguinage or Begijnhof  - the name "hof" indicates an enclosed or fenced in piece of land and was also used for gardens - lay outside the first city defences but under the protection of the ducal stronghold on the edge of the Nete river.

Adelaide of Burgundy, wife of Henry III granted the religious women land to build a chapel. She was herself a devout woman who was greatly inspired by the teachings of Thomas Aquinas. In 1258 the Beguines were granted the right to have their own church and parish priest. From the onset the Beguinage was fenced off. At first it was surrounded by a paling. The buildings were originally constructed as half-timbered constructions under a thatched roof. Around 1400 the Beguinage consisted of a central church, an infirmery and three so-called convents "het Groethuse", "Canterhuse" and "Woemelghemhuse" in which the Beguines lived together.

With the erection of the second city wall around Lierre - that united both urban cored within one single defensive structure - the Beguinage was incorporated into the city. Along its eastern edge a new moat had already been dug in 1427. This moat was incorporated into the fortifications of 1516. The Beguinage was basically a pious commune of women that was separate from the city it had become a part of. From less than 10 houses it grew steadily through legates and bequests, gradually occupying more territory and adding streets into a tiny city within a city of 162 houses spread along eleven narrow alleys and streets. The wooden fence and palisade was replaced by a wall from the early sixteen hundreds onwards. The housing was also replaced with houses built in stone, to better comply with city fire regulations.

The street pattern is very regular, with fairly irregularly positioned cottages with a great variety of floor plan. This indicated gradual growth along pre-existing lines, most likely the underlying parcelation of fields. The Church of Saint Margaret once stood at the heart of the Beguinage in its own graveyard.  After it was ordained in 1784 that burials should take place outside of the cities the graveyard was closed and paved over.  In the nineteenth century the former orchard was replaced by a Calvary Mount as a symbolic representation of the crucifixion of Jesus on Golgotha Hill (also known as Calvary Hill). Within this walled sanctuary an infirmary, convent for young girls, Table of the Holy Ghost (Heilige Geesttafel), rectory, gatekeeper house and new convent were located. Along the moat a wide strip of grass was used for bleaching linen and drying cloth on large wooden frames. This part now known as Grachtkant (Moat Side) was developed for more cottages in 1726 after the decline of the clothing industry. During the nineteenth century some cottages were torn down to create small gardens for the adjoining cottages (these are shown in lighter grey). What remained of the Beguinage has been restored after the last Beguines died out. The Beguinage of Lierre was given the highest conservation status and is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Belgium.

The Beguinage of Lierre is a large example of a Street type. The oldest core (yellow outline) is located around the church (c), although the parcelation suggests that the first houses were located south of this church. The Beguinage has been expanded several times. For a long time the Beguinage had only two gates [G] at either end of the central Rechtstraat, now Sint-Margaretastraat. The Beguinage reached its current and largest extent in the 17th century. Within its walls with four gates (G) we can find: the Infirmary (i), the Old Convent (O), the New Convent (N), a Calvary Mount (M), the Rectory (R), the Gatekeeper House (K) and the Wezenhuis (W) a house for orphaned girls. The Bleachfields [B] were at the heart of the urban industry of the Beguines. They were located along a moat that connected to the Nete river.