A special place: The Beguinage
Educatie
History
What is the Beguinage
The Beguinage in Amsterdam, founded in the Middle Ages within the Singel, is unique because of its lower location and individual town houses. It was originally entirely enclosed by water and accessible through a gate near the Begijnensteeg. Beguines lived there from 1346 and it was named as a hof in 1389. The Beguinage was more like a convent, although they had more freedom than nuns. The beguines took a vow of chastity but had the freedom to leave the court to get married.
The most famous Beguine in history
Cornelia Arens, who died on 14 October 1654, is the most famous Beguine in the history of the Beguinage. Her last wish was to be buried in the gutter instead of the "desecrated" chapel. According to legend, she was buried in the chapel anyway, but her coffin appeared in the gutter each time. This repeated itself three times. Another variant of the legend says that her soul found no rest and wandered around at night, after which she was eventually buried in the gutter.
