De Begijnhofkerk

The Begijnhofkerk is part of the Mechelen beguinage. The church was built at the beginning of the 17th century on the site of a former church by the beguines. Beguines are women and men who used to live as single people and together formed a kind of community in a beguinage. Unlike members of a monastic order, these people did not take an eternal vow except that of chastity. At the beginning of the 21st century, the facade of the church was restored. This facade is an example of Baroque architecture. The church was sold by the French revolutionaries, but in 1804 it was returned to the beguines.