SAINT-JEAN HOSPITAL (SINT-JANSHOSPITAAL)
St. John's Hospital is one of the oldest surviving medieval hospitals in Europe, with a beautiful architecture.
Hôpital Saint-Jean is one of the oldest surviving medieval hospitals in Europe. It remained in use until 1976, where clerics cared for pilgrims. The main attraction is the paintings by Hans Memling, but a visit to an old hospital is not without interest. The interior architecture, with its bricks and beams, is impressive.
The museum. It recreates the atmosphere of the rooms and hospital life of the time. On display are books, registers, letters and seals, medical instruments, crockery, a nun's habit... The hospital chapel is the showcase of the great talent of Hans Memling, the most famous painter of Gothic Christendom, born around 1435 in Seligenstadt, Hesse, settled in Bruges from 1465 and died in Flanders in 1494. His masterpieces, created for the institution in the 15th century, are on display here, including the famous Châsse de sainte Ursule. Heir to Van der Weyden and precursor to Bruegel, Memling is recognized as a master of portraiture. He produced dazzling Virgins with Child.
The botanical garden with its medicinal plants and the former 18th-century pharmacy are also well worth a visit. The renovated 19th-century buildings are now occupied by the Centre Oud Sint-Jan, which organizes exhibitions and conferences. A visit to the attic is also an opportunity to admire the roof structure, one of the most monumental and oldest in Europe.