Day 3 - Churches and chocolate
Definitely the way to get around Bruges is by bike, it saves a lot of time and foot slog. I’m amazed at how bike friendly this town is, you can leave your bike anywhere in the street, go see a sight for an hour or so and the bike is still there - no one has pinched the tyres/staddle or nicked it. No one minds where you go, which way you go - right way or wrong way up the road/pavement, or who you nearly run over / crash into. Mind you, I guess it helps not speaking the lingo.
I have eaten so much chocolate these last few days - can’t help it everywhere is a chocolate shop with samples galore. Think I may need a rest from this chocolate utopia.
Today was about churches, there are so many here that unless it has a really interesting story I’m not going to bore you.
Church of the Holy Blood. On the Burg tucked away in the corner and doesn’t look much like a church from the outside, more like one of those old fashioned fairground ghost tunnel entrances. Have to go upstairs to the main church bit. There is a cylinder which (rumour has it) is filled with Jesus’s blood. Every day it’s taken out of a safe and put on a pillow to be worshipped. Overnight it solidifies and then becomes fluid during the day - science (temperature) or a miracle, whatever you want to believe.
The Jerusalem Chapel.
This one was built by Anselm Adornes who was a very devote Christian back in the 1400’s and is still privately owned by his descendants. It is styled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and even has a copy of Jesus’ grave which you get to by crawling through hole as you would in the original. Certainly unusual.
(I’m having a problem loading these pictures. - I’ll add at another tine. )
The Church of the Beguinage.
Very peaceful little piece of Bruges, Nuns still live here so there are signs everywhere shushing you. The story goes that feminism in Flanders started around 1200. A group of religious women thought it would be a good idea to get married to Jesus - initially the Catholic Church wanted to bury them alive but they soon got used to the idea. These women started their own communities all over Flanders and helped the poor. In this beguinage only 8 Benedictine nuns remain. I was lucky enough to visit whilst they were at prayer - very special..
I have eaten so much chocolate these last few days - can’t help it everywhere is a chocolate shop with samples galore. Think I may need a rest from this chocolate utopia.
Today was about churches, there are so many here that unless it has a really interesting story I’m not going to bore you.
Church of the Holy Blood. On the Burg tucked away in the corner and doesn’t look much like a church from the outside, more like one of those old fashioned fairground ghost tunnel entrances. Have to go upstairs to the main church bit. There is a cylinder which (rumour has it) is filled with Jesus’s blood. Every day it’s taken out of a safe and put on a pillow to be worshipped. Overnight it solidifies and then becomes fluid during the day - science (temperature) or a miracle, whatever you want to believe.
The Jerusalem Chapel.
This one was built by Anselm Adornes who was a very devote Christian back in the 1400’s and is still privately owned by his descendants. It is styled on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and even has a copy of Jesus’ grave which you get to by crawling through hole as you would in the original. Certainly unusual.
(I’m having a problem loading these pictures. - I’ll add at another tine. )
The Church of the Beguinage.
Very peaceful little piece of Bruges, Nuns still live here so there are signs everywhere shushing you. The story goes that feminism in Flanders started around 1200. A group of religious women thought it would be a good idea to get married to Jesus - initially the Catholic Church wanted to bury them alive but they soon got used to the idea. These women started their own communities all over Flanders and helped the poor. In this beguinage only 8 Benedictine nuns remain. I was lucky enough to visit whilst they were at prayer - very special..
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