In front of Our Lady's church stands the large complex of the
medieval St. John's hospital, one of the oldest still
existing hospitals in Europe. In 1978 it lost its function as
hospital and harbors now the Memling museum, the hospital museum
and the old pharmacy. It was transformed into a museum and a
congress center. Inside the old chapel is now one of the smallest
but most attractive museum of Bruges, the Memling Museum.
Here six paintings by the 15th century painter Hans Memling can be
seen.
Hans Memling (1433-1494) was one
of the later ones in the row of "Vlaamse Primitieven"
(Flemish Primitives). The wealth of Bruges also attracted artists
and made Bruges the most praised city of the art of painting in
the thirteenth century. Even though none of the big names like Van
Eyck, Memlinc, Gerard David were born in Bruges, a innovative
style was born here, that still has a world fame. Memling
lived for a long time in the St. Johns hospital and died there.
This museum is part of the
St.John's Hospital complex.
Inside, the old hospital infirmary can be visited as well as the
old pharmacy. In the former chapel of the Hospital six
paintings by Hans Memling are exposed.
One of the masterpieces is the Shrine
of St. Ursula. This wooden shrine contains the
relics of St. Ursula. In six bow-arched panels, Memling tells the
history of Ursula. The two front panels show St.Ursula accompanied
by 10 virgins, each representing 1.000 virgins (see picture below)
, and Our Blessed Lady in the presence of two hospital sisters.
The other masterpiece is the 'Altarpiece
of Saint-John the Baptist and Saint-John the Evangelist',
made in 1479 and painted for the main altar in the church of the
hospital. In the central panel is the Holy Virgin holding the
child Jesus. Jesus puts a ring around the finger of Saint
Catherine of Sienna. The woman sitting on the right of the Holy
Virgin is Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The left side panel shows
the story of Saint John the Baptist who was decapitated by order
of Salome. The right side-panel illustrates the Apocalypse as told
by Saint-John the Evangelist.
The 'Diptych
with Our Blessed Lady and Maarten van Nieuwenhoven'
(1487). Maarten van Nieuwenhoven was a member of a rich and
important Bruges family. He is shown here at the age of 23. Later
he became Lord Mayor of Bruges.
Mariastraat 38 - 8000 Brugge
Open: every day from 9:30 until
17:00 | Closed on Mondays (except Easter & Whit Mondays)
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