On May 2, 1654 Cornelia Arents, head of the beguines, died. It was customary to bury these women in the Beguine Church, now the English Church. Being a Roman Catholic, Cornelia was absolutely against being buried in the 'heretical' Protestant English Church. She would rather be laid to rest in the gutter.
GUTTER GRAVE
Legend has it that Cornelia was buried in the English Church against her wishes. To everyone's great surprise, however, her coffin was found in the gutter next to the lawn outside the church the next morning. Once more Cornelia was put in her grave inside the church. The next morning her coffin was found outside the church once more. It was decided to respect her wishes and bury her in the gutter after all. A headstone and a plaque in the wall next to the lawn testify to this. The plaque reads "Beguine Cornelia Arents was laid to rest in this gutter at her own request. May 2, 1654". Pansies are put on her grave on May 2 every year until this day.
FORBIDDEN FRUITS
The tranquil Begijnhof in the heart of Amsterdam is like a village square in a metropolis. It was established in the 14th century as a residence for pious women who did not want to enter a convent. They taught children and cared for the sick and enjoyed relative freedom. It was forbidden for the beguines to keep dogs and roosters in their courtyard. It would be far too noisy. Girlfriends were not allowed to stay overnight without express permission. It was strictly forbidden for boys over the age of three, let alone adult males, to stay in the almshouses. In the corridor of the gate building on Spui you can still see illustrations of these 'forbidden fruits' on the corbels. You see a boy running away, a rooster being chased away and a dog slinking off with its tail between its legs.
The Begijnhof is open to visitors on mornings only. |
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