Grand Beguinage of Leuven

In 1299, the clergy of the Sint-Pieterskerk (St. Peter’s Church) built a chapel at the foot of the Ramberg, in the center of Louvain. After the university of Louvain was established in 1425, the Artes faculty became the owner of the chapel. From the 16th century onwards, there was a worship of Sint-Antonius van Egypte (Saint Anthony of Egypt). Because of his popularity, the chapel was called Sint-Antoniuskapel (Saint Anthony’s Chapel). In 1617, the chapel was constructed in the late Gothic style as it is now. Restorations took place in the 18th century. In 1797, the French administration closed the chapel and it could be rented by religious groups from 1847 to 1853. In 1860, the chapel was sold and bought by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. They renovated the chapel and opened it in 1861. In 1936, the remains of the most famous Belgian missionary and saint, Jozef De Veuster, were transferred from Molokai (Hawaii) and placed in the crypt of the chapel. In 1960-1961, the chapel was rebuilt by the Congregation.

The construction of the Baroque Saint Michael's Church with its impressive façade began in 1650. Works on the dome had to stop in 1660 due to problems with stability. The church was consecrated in 1671, but the work on the interior was not completed until the end of the 17th century. The church had to close in 1773 due to the closure of all monasteries in the Netherlands and was put back to use from 1778 onwards. During the occupation of the French, from 1795 until 1801, the church was used as the ‘Temple of the Law, of Reason and of the Supreme Being’. It became a parish church again in 1803. The building was restored from 1853 until 1878, in 1932, in 1934, after the second world war from 1947 until 1950 and from 1996 until 1997.

The first stone of the monastery was laid down in 1489 by Margarete van York (Margaret of York), the widow of Karel de Stoute (Charles the Bold). The build took until 1530, but the first Carthusian monks arrived in 1491. At the beginning of the 18th century, severe war devastation and financial distress made the monastery obliged to rent out some of its land. In 1773, the congregation had to sell some of their grounds again. The abbey gave shelter to Austrian military troops in 1779 and a part of the complex got damaged due to an explosion of some of their ammunition. In 1783, monastic orders in the Southern Netherlands were abolished. The abbey was sold and repurposed as an ammunition depot. A second explosion in 1793 caused extensive damage to the buildings. In 1806, the church was demolished and the site was used by farmers and gardeners throughout the 19th century. In 1912, the monastery was bought by Armand Thiéry (1868-1955). He organized a restoration and sold the abbey in 1917 to the Capuchins. They renovated the grounds and a second restauration was conducted from 1968 until 1976.