The Harlem News

"Forgotten Women"
Of the Crusades

Twentieth century travelers, hunting new scenes for the looming vacation season, may find a thrill by turning back the clock 800 years in visits to Europe's Beguinages. What are these Beguinages...Homes of the Beguines. And the Beguines, says the National Geographic society, "are a feminine hold-over from the days of the Crusades. An order of lay sisterhoods, the Beguines are believed by many to have taken their name from Lambert le Begue, a priest of Liege, Belgium. Toward the end of the 12th century this priest, seeking a solution to the economic and social problem of women left unprotected by their crusading menfolk, built a cloister and church (St. Christopher) as a haven of Liege for these 'forgotten women' of a holy war.

The movement spread through the Low Countries. By the end of the 13th century, Beguinages, as the settlements came to be called, were established in many communities of Belgium, The Netherlands, northern France, and Germany. Women of all classes joined them. Sometimes wealthy women gave their fortunes to the sisterhood. In other cases, the poor were received and taken care of in institutions that became virtually almshouses. Today, mostly as charity centers, Beguinages are still found in northern Europe, especially in Belgium and The Netherlands. Surrounded by thick walls whose heavy gates are closed at night, they have narrow, winding streets, rows of gabled houses, shops, market places, and churches.

Like cities within cities, Beguinages today are islands of serenity, in the bustle of modern life, where members go and come, obeying their simple rules, visiting their families and friends, ministering to the sick and needy. Clever with handwork, many Beguines make their living and finance their charity by lace-making and embroidery."