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Sint-Jan-de-Doperkerk Church in the Beguinage of Leuven |
Beguines did not make perpetual vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, as classical monks and nuns did. Their promises were only temporal and poverty was not necessary: a beguine had her own possessions and her own income. She only promised celibacy and obedience as long as she remained in the beguinage. She was free to leave the convent at any moment, although she mostly had to give up her rights on her house in the beguinage upon leaving. The women created small towns near rivers. The Beguinage of Leuven, at one time, had nearly 300 members.
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Street in the Beguinage of Leuven |
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River running through the Beguinage. Water was needed for drinking, cooking and washing. For more info about Beguinages, go to http://www.cns.bu.edu/~satra/kaatvds/leuvenhistory.htm |
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