Open: 9:30am- 5pm
Closed Mondays
Cost: €8 / €6
Sint Jan Hospitaal Museum or Hospital of Saint John in Bruges is a medieval hospital that dates back to the 12th century. It was finally closed in 1976 making it one of the oldest continuously operating hospitals open in the World. Today it houses a museum that includes well preserved 15th century dispensary. The sick room, displays paintings, medical objects, antique furniture and archives illustrating the daily life of the sick and religious communities, brothers and sisters in the sixteenth century, subject to the rule of St. Augustine who managed the hospital initially dedicated to welcoming pilgrims and the needy. The pharmacy, active until 1971, retains its layout of the seventeenth century.
The sick and needy were taken care of in the Sint-Janshospitaal, but
there was little real care for the sick before the 19th century. For
example, for a long time there was no doctor attached to the hospital,
but there was a priest. Medical procedures such as bloodletting or
setting a broken arm were done by the barber or surgeon. The religious
Augustinian Sisters cared for the patients, who received three meals,
clean clothes and a bed. The worship services in the chapel, which is
integrated in the north aisle of the hospital, ensured a permanent
contact with God. Little altars were set up in the infirmaries,
dedicated to some physician saint. Saint Roch was worshiped against the
plague, Saint Lucy for all kinds of eye ailments, and Saint Cornelius as
protector against epilepsy and childhood diseases.
Saint Ursula
was invoked for a good death. Already around 1400 there was a semblance
of relics of Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgins in the hospital. In
1489, these relics were ceremoniously transferred to a much more
imposing Shrine of Ursula, painted by Hans Memling on behalf of two nuns
of St. John, among others. This large shrine remained in the chapel of
St. John's Hospital until 1839, when it was transferred to the chapter
room in the convent of the nuns to form the first Memling Museum,
together with the other paintings that Memling made on behalf of the
monastic order. . In 2019, the collection of this museum can be seen in
the infirmary of the Sint-Janshospitaal.
The large St. John's
triptych by Memling had been on display there since the 17th century,
when the hospital chapel was given a Baroque interior design with an
altarpiece by Jacob van Oost. Hans Memling also painted two small
triptychs commissioned by hospital brothers Jan Floreins and Adriaan
Reyns, who were joined in that museum by the Diptych by Maarten van
Nieuwenhove and the Portrait of a Young Woman, paintings from Bruges
institutions that were closed down after the French Revolution. The
works of Hans Memling became known thanks to the research work of James
Weale and other authoritative critics, who studied the Flemish
Primitives in churches and monasteries and rediscovered these masters
through archives.
The newly built infirmaries were taken into use
around the middle of the nineteenth century. The medieval hospital wards
were given a different interpretation. The initial prospect was that
these "unhealthy buildings" would be demolished, but this fell through.
The large infirmary was mainly used as a chapter house for the then
still numerous monastic congregation. It was also used for organizing
concerts, meetings and medical conferences. In 1958, a large part of the
patrimony of the old hospital is housed in the old wards. Only the
chapel remains in use until 1984 for the nuns, as well as for the
funerals of patients who died in hospital and (until 1977) for the
baptism of children born in maternity. Until 1977, the dispensary of the
hospital continued to be housed in the former convent, next to the
'guardian's room', where the meetings of the hospital board were held
for centuries.
The successful exhibition "800 years of Sint-Jan"
in 1977 also marked the move of the medical care of the
Sint-Janshospitaal from the ancient site to a brand new hospital AZ
Sint-Jan in the outskirts of Bruges (1978). The permanent furnishings of
the medieval hospital wards of Sint-Janshospitaalmuseum, also known as
the Memlingmuseum because the master's six works were displayed
together, were expanded with other paintings and statues of saints, as
well as medical materials, utensils and furniture. In the north aisle
there was also a staging with the bed boxes and enlarged figures from
the painting by Jan Beerblock.
In 1984, Memling's paintings were
moved again, this time to the chapel after church services were
discontinued. The former convent with a pharmacy and herb garden has
also been included in the museum circuit.
Until 1990, the entire
collection of the Sint-Janshospitaal and the hospital buildings
themselves were owned by the OCMW as heir to the Commission of Civil
Hospices. In 1990, the buildings were taken over by the City of Bruges,
which also included the operation of the museum in the activities of the
Municipal Museums, now Musea Brugge. The collection of historical
paintings, utensils and archives remained the property of the OCMW until
2018, but has since been merged with the city archive and museum
operations due to the integration with the city government.
Sint-Janshospitaal was established around 1150 or earlier, making it
one of the oldest health care institutions on the European mainland. The
date 1188 is that of the first available document, the regulations drawn
up for the benefit of the sisters and brothers who served the hospital,
so that it was not unreasonable to suspect that the foundation had
already been made at an earlier date, which, by the way, has been
confirmed by archaeological evidence. excavations confirmed. Building
fragments have been found from that earliest period. The still existing
large infirmary was built around 1200, mainly in Tournai stone. The
brother monastery was built around 1220, later used as a pharmacy. The
buildings were regularly expanded, rebuilt and renovated in the
following centuries. The church dates from the fifteenth century and was
supplemented in the sixteenth century by a chapel dedicated to Saint
Cornelius. The church was connected to the large infirmary, so that
patients could follow the divine services from their beds.
The
hospital was located on the Mariastraat, the then approach road from
Ghent and Kortrijk. Only the foundations and some wall fragments of the
first original room have been found. In order to meet the increasing
need for the care of the sick, pilgrims and travelers, the construction
of three new infirmaries began at the beginning of the 13th century. A
construction phase that lasted until about 1310. Later on, the men's
monastery (14th century) and the nunnery (1544) were built.
After
the disappearance of the community of brothers at the end of the
sixteenth century, the Augustinian sisters were solely responsible for
the management and care of the sick. The leadership for this rested with
the superior elected by the sisters, called madam. She was assisted by
guardians chosen from among the city's leading citizens and appointed by
the city council.
From 1796 the hospital came under the
administration of the Commission of Civil Hospices, from 1925 of the
Commission for Public Assistance (COO), in 1977 transformed into the
current OCMW. Management responsibility remained in the hands of Mrs. At
the beginning of the 1960s, a director was appointed, who from then on
took over the management.
19th century hospital
Due to the
evolution of time and a new view on health care and hygiene, new
buildings became a necessity from the middle of the 19th century. A
hospital with sixteen wards and a main building was built in 1864,
around an inner garden. The plans were drawn up by the architect Isidoor
Alleweireldt (1824-1892). For its construction, the brewery, a large
part of the garden and the cemetery of the historic hospital had to
disappear.
Gradually, the nineteenth-century hospital wards were
overcrowded and used to the maximum, especially after 1950. Additional
buildings were erected between the various wings, where gardens were
laid out for the patients. Buildings were also built in what remained of
the former gardens, on the one hand as an extension of the monastery
building due to the increasing number of nuns, and on the other hand for
the care of the sick and the specialized departments. Several
prefabricated buildings were added in anticipation of the move to the
new hospital, which took many years to come.
Repurposing as Old
Sint-Jan
In 1977, the hospital services moved integrally to new
buildings of the AZ Sint-Jan in Sint-Pieters near Bruges. The
nineteenth-century buildings and more recent additions were left
unattended and vacant for quite some time. They gradually became the
object of vandalism. The city council, primarily the recently appointed
mayor Frank Van Acker, intended to demolish everything and make way for
the construction of a large-scale hotel, to be set up by an
international hotel chain. However, these and similar ideas foundered
when it became clear that the nineteenth-century buildings belonged to
the decision to protect the whole as immovable heritage. Not only the
medieval buildings, but the entire cadastral plot was protected as a
monument in 1943, a war decision that was ratified by a regent decree in
1949. Repeated requests to successive competent ministers to withdraw
from protection of more recent buildings, including the nineteenth
century, collided with the unfavorable advice of the Royal Commission
for Monuments and Sites, which was always followed by these ministers.
In 1981, the city of Bruges decided to lease the entire complex for
99 years to a public limited company set up by an Ostend property
promoter. He announced that, after restoration, he would attract as many
antique shops with an international reputation to the sixteen available
rooms of the nineteenth-century building. However, this idea did not get
off the ground and after some time the company was resold and the long
lease was taken over by former mayor Michel Van Maele and a group of
investors.
The neglected buildings and overgrown gardens were
thoroughly addressed. Without a problem this time, all twentieth-century
extensions, buildings and prefabs were demolished in 1991. Only the
nineteenth-century buildings remained standing and were found to be in a
sound structural condition. A thorough renovation designed by architect
Paul Salens (Bruges) took place and a new building designed by architect
Luc Vermeersch was added to complete the whole. After the demolition of
the recent monastery part (the shrunken monastic community had enough
with the historic monastic buildings), a Reie cove was created.
From then on, the buildings, under the name Oud Sint-Jan, were used for
various purposes: conferences, exhibitions, festivities, fairs, shops,
restaurants. Due to differences of opinion among the main shareholders,
after the death of Michel Van Maele, the majority of the shares were
transferred to the Spanish multinational group that had also taken over
the Boudewijn Park. The original goal of developing a culture and
conference center was not fully achieved. The buildings were mainly used
for commercial purposes. The exhibitions (temporary or permanent) that
were organized there mainly related to graphic work by Spanish artists,
such as Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró.
The twentieth-century
buildings were occupied by city services:
The maternity hospital
(built in 1907) was occupied by the technical services of the city.
The eye clinic and the nose, throat and ear clinic (built in the years
1920-1935) became the archaeological museum of the city (Mariastraat
36), the workshops for repairs and restorations, and the reserves for
works of art of the various museums.
Circa 1150: excavations carried out in 1983 and in 1997 indicate the
existence of a first rectangular hall with a long facade on Mariastraat.
1188: oldest preserved document with regulations of an existing
community.
Circa 1234: construction of the Romanesque tower and
middle infirmary, at right angles to the first ward (according to
dendrochronological research).
1268: construction of the northern
infirmary followed by the church accessible from the infirmary
(according to dendrochronological research).
1285-1290: construction
of the southern infirmary (according to dendrochronological research).
Second half of the 13th century: construction of a convent and first
house on the south side of the cloister.
1310: building a brewery.
The sisters came.
1336: extension and consecration of the existing
cemetery.
1413: construction of a Gothic, single-aisled churchyard
chapel with transept in the middle of the cemetery.
First half of the
15th century: construction of the Sint-Cornelius chapel.
1459:
Transition from the lay community to a regular community further based
on the Rule of Saint Augustine.
1503: construction of the portal
building, the apothecary of the friar's monastery and the cloister with
second house on its south side.
1539-1544: foundation of the nunnery
with expansion works between 1540-1560, first quarter of the 17th
century and 1685.
Around 1635: the brothers leave the monastery, the
sisters take over management and administration.
Around 1637: renewal
of the church interior.
1643: Establishment of a pharmacy in the
former convent.
1685: addition of the chapter house to the nunnery.
1796: assignment of management to "The Commission for Civil Hospices".
The operation of the hospital will be maintained.
1817: setting up a
maternity center in the Mariastraat (current building number 36).
1820: Church is closed off from the infirmaries.
1839: Opening of the
Memling Museum in the chapter house of the nunnery.
1856-1858:
construction of new hospital wards designed by architect Isidore
Alleweireldt (Bruges). The old hospital wards are planned for
demolition, which will not take place. They are used, among other
things, as a stacking area. The church remains in use until 1984.
1857: Restoration of the middle and south infirmary after a design by
the architect I. Alleweireldt.
1884-1892: construction of the
Minnewater clinic for the terminally ill, by architect L. Delacenserie
(Bruges).
1895-1913: thorough historicizing restoration of the
medieval hospital wards, tower and convent after a design by architects
C. De Wulf, L. Delacenserie (Bruges) and J. Coomans (Ypres).
1908-1910: Construction of maternity hospital at Oostmeers 17, designed
by architect A. De Pauw (Bruges).
1913: behind Mariastraat 36,
neo-Gothic construction of an eye clinic, designed by A. De Pauw
(Bruges).
1920s: next to the previous building, construction of
buildings for nose, ear and throat diseases, designed by architect J.
Viérin (Bruges).
1935-1940: conversion of the Minnewater clinic into
part of the Sint-Janshospitaal, with the construction of a connecting
road and viaduct above Zonnekemeers.
1949-1961: restoration of the
Reie facade and the interior to a design by architect J. Verbeke
(Bruges), with dormers installed in the church. Distribution of the
space due to the further use by the monastery of infirmaries and church:
only the eastern part of the southern hall is set up as a museum.
1949-1979: Use of one half of the old infirmaries as a 'chapter hall'
for the nuns, the other half, henceforth called 'Gothic Hall', as a
cultural space for music performances (Festival Musica Antiqua),
banquets ('candlelight dinners'), conferences (mainly medical meetings),
exhibitions.
1976: move from the Sint-Janshospitaal to the new
building on Sint-Pieters. Gradual demolition of buildings from the third
quarter of the 20th century and construction of a park and car park.
1978: moving the Infrastructure and Spatial Planning Department to the
former maternity hospital on the Oostmeers.
1979-1985: restoration to
a design by architect L. Vermeersch (Bruges) and partial refurbishment
of the historic buildings as museum spaces. Discovery of three 14th and
15th century gravestones mainly located in the southern infirmary. Hans
Memling's paintings are given a place in the church and
Sint-Corneliuskapel. Accommodation of the archeology department and some
museum services in the buildings on Mariastraat.
1984: Termination of
church services in the church and establishment as a Memling Museum.
1986-1994: restoration of all facades of the old hospital after a design
by architect L. Vermeersch (Bruges).
1996-2001: restoration of the
interior and roofing of the old hospital wards after a design by
architect L. Vermeersch (Bruges), whereby the wards and the church
become one space again. New museum infrastructure designed by exhibition
architect P. Vandebotmet (Kersbeek-Miskom) and glass reception area and
museum shop designed by architect L. Vermeersch (Bruges). Interesting
excavations provide information about, among other things: partial
location of the earliest infirmary, old sewerage system draining into
the Reie, alcoves resting on brick foundations dating back to the
13th-14th century, 14th-century floor fragments of ceramic tiles on the
ground floor and attic of the south hall, some 17th and 18th century
burial vaults.
In a hospital there are, of course, not only patients and care staff,
but also doctors. Not much can be said about the period of surgeons and
healers in connection with St. John's Hospital. The sick who were taken
to the hospital usually came there to die. The doctors were generally
not permanently attached to the hospital and visited their own patients.
Under the ancien régime few, if any, doctors worked exclusively in the
hospital, but they had their own private clientele. It does not prevent
the hospital Sint-Jan from being, due to the number of patients, a
meeting point for local doctors and a place where medicine progressed.
In the seventeenth century, the most important physician in Bruges
was Thomas Van den Berghe or Thomas Montanus.
In the nineteenth
century the name of Isaac De Meyer, a surgeon known for his skill in
amputating, but also and especially as a historian of medicine in
Bruges, emerged.
In the twentieth century, Joseph Sebrechts in
particular shone, who gave surgery, as practiced in St. John's Hospital,
a national, if not international, image.
Montanus
François Rapaert
Isaac DeMeyer
Jacques DeMersseman
Desire De Meyer
Joseph Sebrechts
Robert Pannier
Rene Pannier
Luc Calliauw
Michel D'Hooghe
William DeGroote