Untroubled. Bruges' Begijnhof, Belgium

Bruges is one of those places that you can go thousands of times. By the time I was living in Belgium I definitely lost the count, once I went to Bruges with all my friends. As a first reaction upon visiting Bruges, I immediately notice that this city has always carefully cherished its architectural and artistic treasures from the past. Bruges has a long tradition of international port activity. The oldest trade settlement of Bruges and the early middle age port was accessible from the sea until around 1050. The second area of occupation outside the Burg was close to the present day Steenstraat and the Oude Burg. It was here that the city grew fastest until around 1100. The ancient history of Bruges is also present in the various churches that we can see all over the city. The historic city centre was added to the Unesco’s World Heritage List. The current city boundaries still coincide exactly with those of the medieval city centre, and the spaces and structures that were so typical of Bruges in the past have been preserved. I took this photo at Begijnhofs convent in Bruges. Begijnhofs are traditional communities date back to the twelfth century when a Leige priest, Lambert le Begue, encouraged widows and unmarried women to live in religious communities. This was intended to encourage pious acts, especially tending for the sick. The inhabitants, beguines, did not have to take vows, unlike nuns in a conventional convent, and were free to return to the secular world. The Bruges' Begijnhof was founded in 1245 by Margaret, Countess of Flanders. However most of the houses date from the eighteenth century, although the medieval layout has survived. The houses are now occupied by Benedictine nuns. I was impress buy the tranquility of the place and also for the religious acts of the Benedictine nuns, which despite all the touristy activities still untroubled like in medieval times.