Beguinages: the sacred houses of the free women

With this report on the Flemish beguinages, visited in July 2023, we want to highlight a fundamental part of the beguinal life: the possibility of having not only "a room of one's own" - as Virginia Woolf said - but even a small house of one's own, which allowed these extraordinary women, considered the first feminists in history, to operate freely and to write their invaluable works. The Beguinages were villages within cities, surrounded by walls closed at sunset, completed with chapel, infirmary, bakery and beer factory, and built according to precise urban planning rules. The beguinages were the fully fledged "cities of the ladies" – as written by Cristine de Pizan – which allowed these independent and free women to live and work among themselves, without having to obey a male power and without depending on its money.
Credits
Voice text and editing CC Devana 2023 for La Scuola delle Donne®
To make this docuvideo we have personally visited and photographed the following sites:
In Flanders Devana:
Collegiale of Nivelles
Kortrijk Beguinage and Beguine Museum
Big and small beguinage of Bruges
Gand Beguinage
Large and small beguinage and cathedral of Mechelen
Large and small beguinage and collegiate of Louvain
Tongeren Beguinage and Beguine Museum
Beguinage of Diest
Beguinage of Lier
Beguinage and museum of the Beguines of Turnhout
Hoogstraten Beguinage
In Biassono Italy Claudia and Valeria for La Scuola delle Donne®: Cascina Sant'Andrea former House of the Humiliate and park of Biassono (Mi)
Original music by Carlotta Ferrari:
Oh priceless
Tree of life (lyrics Darcy Blahut)
Mysterium nativitatis
Excerpts from "Cristine and the city of ladies" musical work in 3 acts by Devana and Carlotta Ferrari
English subtitles Graham Keen
Sources:
"The Beguines" by Silvana Panciera, Gabrielli ed. 2022
“Clefs pour visiter la collegiale Sainte-Gertrude de Nivelles” in Revue d’histoire religieuse du Brabant Walloon
"The Night of the Beguines" novel by Aline Kiner, Neri Pozza ed.
"The story of Guglielma and Maifreda" from Ancestors - the vision of women, by Devana, Edizione dell’Autrice 2017
“The tarot cards” Gertrude Moakley, The New York Public Library
Article by Alberto Caspani of the Gaetano Osculati Association, journalist and local history expert
On the beguines our videoproductions in the playlist beghine

[leliamonfredini]

Grazie Devana, per la ricerca, l'assemblaggio, il viaggio è la lettura che ci hai generosamente donato❤