Lier Béguinage

Lier, Belgium

Béguinage of Lier is today a walled village in the community and consists of 162 buildings and St. Margaret's Church. One of the four entrances to the beguinage is a renaissance gate surmounted by a statue of the Holy Begga. Lier Béguinage was founded in the 1258, when three sisters decided found a place for spiritual women. About 200 years later, the beguinage was grown and had a church, hospital and three monasteries. Beguinage was damaged by fire in 1485, 1526 and 1542. Baroque gate was built around 1690. St. Margaret Church Baroque façade is from the 1600s.

During the French Revolution Lier Beguinage was confiscated and sold. In the 1990s, large parts of houses were restored. Today Lier Béguinage is one of Flemish Béguinages described as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Pompstraat 2, Lier, Belgium

See all sites in Lier

Details

Founded: 1258
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Belgium

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Lier Town Hall (0,4 km)

St. Nicholas Church (34,6 km)
La Grand-Place (34,7 km)
Brussels Town Hall (34,8 km)
Antwerp City Hall (15,7 km)
Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (35,1 km)
Cathedral of Our Lady (15,5 km)
Saint Jacques-sur-Coudenberg (35 km)
Royal Palace of Brussels (35 km)
Church of Our Blessed Lady of the Sablon (35,3 km)

User Reviews

Michael Job (2 years ago)
Beautiful buildings and quite streets. My visit was in March so maybe that would explain the quite streets. Very easy to get around from the station.

alexandre D (2 years ago)
Berry nice Béguinage. A very peaceful place

Stefaan Claes (2 years ago)
I know this place since more than 45 years. It is sad to see how it has fallen into ruin over that time.

Terry Gould (3 years ago)
In the lovely town of Lier. It's like a mini Bruges.

Giulia (4 years ago)
I have been to other beguinages, in Belgium but also in the Netherlands, and I must say this is absolutely my favourite one up until now. The usual quiet back in time atmosphere was there, but the different buildings, their details, the little sculptures around, the narrow streets and the wider ones, the surrounding walls, all make the place picturesque. It is very well kept and not by chance part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Needless to say that if you're in Lier it is worth a visit. As a matter of fact, I would actually recommend coming on purpose.

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