#beguine

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1957

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1963

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This is Part One of Five of a series of places around Western Europe which were important during the Protestant Reformation of the Catholic Church.

Ten Wijngaerde: Bruges, Belgium

Ten Wijngaerde is the last preserved Beguinage in the city of bruges. A Beguinage is a community of Beguines, who were essentially Catholic nuns, but with less rules and restrictions. The woman in the Beguine order did take vows of chastity, but they were free to leave whenever they wanted, and they could give up a life of chastity as long as they left the order first.

A Beguinage was unlike a convent in that there were no large walls keeping the women in, there was no social hierarchy led by a Mother Superior, and there were less vows and no sponsorship from The Catholic Church.

Ten Wijngaerde was founded in 1244 by Margaret of Constantinople, and became a parish the next year. It came under authority of Philip the Fair, the King of France, in 1299, and was then called "The Princely Beguinage".

Today, Ten Wijngaerde is home to Benedictine nuns and other women from the area who wish to remain unmarried. The complex looks like a small neighborhood, with a square of houses built in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. A Beguine church takes up one of the sides, but the main attraction for me was the grove of trees in the middle of the complex (pictured). It was a great spot for photos.

I chose Ten Wijngaerde because of the beautiful grove, but also because of the sense of history still contained within the community. It has a similar feel to that of old American towns, such as Colonial Williamsburg or Jamestown, both in Virginia. Something that surprised me about the Beguinage was that women who want to remain unmarried can stay within the complex. I think this is probably what the Beguine women would have wanted, as they emphasized being pious and independent without conforming to the overwhelming presence of The Catholic Church.

[struckbylightningorsomething]

I have been learning about the beguines through Laura Swan's book, The Wisdom of the Beguines. In this video, she gives an overview of what beguines are and what they are all about

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Typical Combo - Boulouloum Balala (1976)

Disques Debs HDD 597 (GUA)

VG+/VG+ (7)

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Michel-Léonard Beguine

L'étreinte, 1920

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The fuck?

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1954

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Doctor who rewatch, but I watch it in Rivers chronological order. So, starting with 'let's kill Hitler' and end with 'silence in the library'.

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Beguinas (2024)

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this might actually be the first large scale crochet project I worked, definitely a scrap yarn project

pattern is Polly Plum's Begin the Beguine

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Star Combo - Décameron (197?)

Univers Disques UD 216 (FRA)

VG+/VG+ (13)

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Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, Begine the Beguine, 1940