Old St. John's Hospital

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Old St. John's Hospital
Brugge - Sint Jan - Middeleeuwse ziekenzaal rond 1778.jpg
St. John's Hospital in 1778
Old St. John's Hospital
Geography
Coordinates 51°12′14″N3°13′26″E / 51.204°N 3.224°E / 51.204; 3.224
History
Openedmid-12th century
Closed1977

The Hospital of St. John (Oud Sint-Janshospitaal) was a medieval hospital in Bruges. It was founded in the mid-12th century.

Located next to the Church of Our Lady, the premises contain some of Europe's oldest surviving hospital buildings. [1] The hospital grew during the Middle Ages and was a place where sick pilgrims and travellers were cared for. The site was later expanded with the building of a monastery and convent. In the 19th century, further construction led to a hospital with eight wards around a central building.

Not until 1977 did the building's function as a hospital stop, at which time it was moved to a newer modern hospital in Brugge Sint-Pieters. The city of Bruges took over the buildings. Today part of the hospital complex holds the popular Hans Memling museum, named for the German-born Early Netherlandish painter, where a number of works, such as triptychs are displayed, [2] as well as hospital records, medical instruments and other works of art. [3]

The hospital site is also used as a congress and exhibition centre, the site Oud Sint-Jan.

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The Diptych of Maarten van Nieuwenhove is a 1487 painting by Hans Memling, showing on the left side the Virgin and Child, and on the right side Maarten van Nieuwenhove. It is now kept in the Old St. John's Hospital in Bruges. It is unsigned, but has invariably been attributed to Hans Memling since the middle of the 19th century.

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References

  1. "Sint-Janshospitaal". Archived from the original on 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  2. Patrick Barkham (2008-05-03). "Land of the friet". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  3. "Too Much Belgian Beer? Go to the Memling Hospital Museum in Bruges". 2010-04-01. Archived from the original on 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2012-11-29.