Beguinage Sainte-Catherina
Beguinage Sainte-Catherina
The Sint-Catharinakerk, also known as the Begijnhofkerk or Paterskerk, is a former church building in the Belgian city of Tongeren in the province of Limburg. The church is surrounded by Brouwersstraat, Sint-Catharinastraat and Sint-Rosastraat. The Sint-Catharinakerk is central to the beguinage of Tongeren.
Beguinage Sainte-Catherina
Beguines were living in Tongeren even before 1239. These women, who did not want to choose between marriage and the nunnery, established a home for themselves at a walled site at the Moeren Gate. These ‘spinsters’ built an independent life for themselves in the Sint-Catharina Beguinage.